EU Commission Chief To Withdraw the Contested Pesticide Regulation
February 6, 2024 | Source: Euractiv | by Olivia Gyapong
In a major blow to the EU’s Green Deal and Farm to Fork framework, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Tuesday (6 February) that she will withdraw the Sustainable Use Regulation (SUR), which sought to halve pesticide use by 2030.
“The SUR proposal has become a symbol of polarisation,” von der Leyen said in a speech at the European Parliament Plenary in Strasbourg. “It has been rejected by the European Parliament. There is no progress anymore in the Council either. So we have to do something.”
Von der Leyen suggested the Commission could forge a new proposal with more input from stakeholders following weeks of protests from farmers unhappy with EU environmental regulations, and the starting of a ‘strategic dialogue’ with agrifood stakeholders.
“To move forward, more dialogue and a different approach is needed,” von der Leyen added.
The European branch of the Pesticide Action Network, an international non-governmental organisation dedicated to reducing pesticide use, called today a “black day for health and biodiversity”.