The new deal for pollinators proposed by the European Commission in January to reverse the decline in wild pollinators by 2030 (see EUROPE 13106/10) has been well received by the European Parliament’s Committee on Environment, judging by the exchange of views on Monday 4 September.
A joint draft resolution from the EPP, S&D, Renew Europe, Greens/EFA and The Left groups calls for a clear timetable, coherence between EU sectoral policies and monitoring indicators. It also stresses the importance of research and sufficient resources at EU level and in the Member States to turn things around, as well as the development of ‘bee diplomacy’.
Alexandr Bernhuber (S&D, Slovenian) said that “we need to focus much more on research and do much more to provide the resources that experts need, and we need to work together across borders”, particularly in developing countries. He also advocated raising awareness among farmers and livestock breeders.
Michal Wiezik (Renew Europe, Slovakian) expressed the hope that the proposed deal, which guarantees a follow-up to the 2018 Pollinators Initiative, will “change the game”.
Pointing out that “90% of flowers and plants depend on pollinators” and that the same applied to fruit and vegetables, Martin Haüsling (Greens/EFA, German) stressed the “urgent need for action”, including not renewing the authorisation for glyphosate.
Anja Hazekamp (The Left, Dutch) called for stricter regulations to protect the environment and restore nature, and regretted that “the Commission does not seem to be in a hurry to get Member States to implement the Court of Justice ruling on neonicotinoids” (see EUROPE 13135/5).
The European Commission representative thanked MEPs for their support. “Measures to reduce the use of pesticides and the nature restoration law are one and the same”, he insisted.
To see the draft report: https://aeur.eu/f/8fa (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)