Pollinators: MEPs call for increased action and funding to reverse decline

EU needs a Nature Fund within the next Multiannual Financial Framework

A specific pollinator indicator included in the Common Agricultural Policy by 2026

Demands from Citizens Initiative ‘Save Bees and Farmers’ must quickly be translated into policies

On Tuesday, the Environment Committee adopted a resolution on the revised EU Pollinators Initiative calling for increased action to reverse pollinator decline and achieve EU Green Deal.

In the resolution, adopted with 65 votes to 1 and 3 abstentions, MEPs endorse the main goal of the revised EU Pollinators Initiative to reverse pollinator decline, which poses a threat to human well-being, agricultural productivity, food security and nature in general.

MEPs remind of their resolution of 23 October 2019 on the impact of plant protection products on honeybees and refer to the revised EFSA Bee guidance document. They also call on the Commission and EFSA to enable a transition towards a more holistic and contextualised environmental risk assessment of pesticides for insects, including pollinators.

While they recognise the contribution made by the first EU Pollinators Initiative, they call on the Commission to incorporate the results of this Initiative in the next Biodiversity Strategy and underline that measures to address biodiversity loss should also take place outside protected areas.

MEPs also call on the Commission to assess the compliance of CAP Strategic Plans with the objectives of the EU Pollinators Initiative and to create a specific chapter within these Plans to describe concrete measures aiming at wild and managed pollinators’ protection. They also seek improved pollinator monitoring and a specific pollinator indicator for the Common Agricultural Policy by 2026

MEPs also want to stop import of agricultural products produced using pesticides that are banned in the EU by 2027, as they can cause unacceptable harm to pollinators globally.

As regards funding, MEPs call on the Commission to assess new avenues for financing the measures needed to meet the objectives of the EU Pollinators Initiative, including by setting up a Nature Fund within the next Multiannual Financial Framework. They also want the Commission to propose a dedicated budget line to support systematic biodiversity monitoring, indicators and reporting on state, trends and pressures across all EU countries. The need for research, knowledge and capacity building is also highlighted.

Finally, MEPs also acknowledges the European Citizens Initiative Save Bees and Farmers saying that the demands of citizens need to be translated into future policies quickly and efficiently.

Next steps

The entire House is scheduled to adopt the text during the 20-23 November 2023 plenary session where they will also seek answers from the Commission and the Council to their oral questions on the EU Pollinator Initiative.

Background

The revision of the EU Pollinators Initiative complements the Nature Restoration Law and is a key part of the Biodiversity Strategy 2030, the Farm to Fork Strategy and the European Green Deal.

Another related file is the sustainable use of plant protection products, where the Environment Committee adopted its position on 24 October 2023. It includes targets to reduce the use and risk of all chemical pesticides by at least 50 % by 2030 and the use of more hazardous plant protection products by 65 %.