On Thursday 30 March, MEP Tilly Metz (Greens/EFA, Luxembourger) strongly protested against the moves by some EPP members of the European Parliament to table amendments to reject the European Commission’s original proposal on the sustainable use of pesticides.
At the Committee’s meeting on Thursday, Ms Metz slammed the EPP amendments in favour of agrochemicals.
The deadline for the tabling of amendments was 30 March (2,800 amendments were reportedly tabled).
The Committee on Environment plans to adopt Sarah Wiener’s draft report in September (see EUROPE 13119/1), with a view to a European Parliament vote in October.
Alexander Bernhuber (EPP, Austrian) regretted that the Commission was not ambitious enough about the ongoing impact assessment on the effects of the ‘pesticides proposal’ on the agricultural sector. He called for a wide-ranging impact assessment of the issue. “Will you review your proposal?” he asked EU Commissioner for Health Stella Kyriakides (see EUROPE 13132/6).
In addition, Paolo De Castro (S&D, Italian) tabled a written question on 31 March asking the Commission to clarify its position after one of its representatives stated that “scientists have concluded that our food production system in Europe is no longer sustainable, neither economically, nor socially, nor environmentally”. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)