On Monday 26 June in Luxembourg, the EU agriculture ministers showed their willingness to move forward with negotiations on the proposal on the sustainable use of pesticides.
In this context, they said they were awaiting the additional impact study on the effects of the proposal on food safety, which is due to be presented by the European Commission on 5 July (see EUROPE 13201/22). The future Spanish Presidency of the Council will take up the torch on this sensitive issue.
Several countries, including Denmark, France and the Netherlands, have highlighted the need for alternatives to chemical plant protection products.
The ministers reiterated their opposition to a total ban on pesticides in sensitive areas. The Commission recalled that it had presented a ‘working document’ on this subject, providing for flexibilities in favour of the Member States.
Poland and Italy strongly criticised the Commission’s initial proposal, particularly in view of its impact on food safety and agricultural prices.
France asked to know the effects of the proposal on agricultural production and referred to the forthcoming proposal on new genomic techniques (see EUROPE 13203/14). The proposal is due to be adopted by the Commission on 5 July.
Integrated pest management. The Swedish Presidency of the Council presented the progress made on this issue. The debates did not include the subjects covered by the additional impact study requested by the Council.
One of the main issues raised by the majority of delegations concerned the proposal’s requirement for Member States to adopt legally binding crop-specific rules for the implementation of Integrated Pest Management. These delegations questioned this proposal on the grounds that integrated pest management by its very nature requires flexibility.
See the Commission’s complementary study project: https://aeur.eu/f/7ne
Link to the Swedish Presidency report: https://aeur.eu/f/7r4 (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)