Activities of Martin HOJSÍK related to 2019/2803(RSP)
Plenary speeches (1)
EU Pollinators Initiative (debate)
Amendments (76)
Amendment 1 #
Citation -1 (new)
-1 having regard to the Commission’s communication “EU Pollinators Initiative1a” _________________ 1a COM(2018) 395 final
Amendment 3 #
Citation 2 a (new)
- having regard to its resolution of 16 January 2019 on the Union´s authorisation procedure for pesticides1a _________________ 1a P8_TA(2019)0023
Amendment 5 #
Recital A a (new)
A a. whereas on 11 October 2019 the IUCN issued an urgent call to massively scale up species conservation action in response to the escalating biodiversity crisis, appealing to the world's governments to halt species decline and prevent human-driven extinctions by 2030, and to improve the conservation status of threatened species with a view to bringing about widespread recovery by 2050;
Amendment 7 #
Recital A a (new)
A a. whereas pollinators provide essential direct and indirect ecosystem services such as pollination, pest control, soil and water quality, and landscape aesthetics;
Amendment 9 #
Recital A a (new)
A a. whereas there is inadequate data and information about insect pollinators other than bees and butterflies;
Amendment 10 #
Recital A b (new)
A b. whereas in the EU alone, 84% of crop species and 78% of wild flower species depend, at least in part, on animal pollination1a; whereas up to EUR 15 billion of the EU’s annual agricultural output can directly be attributed to pollinators1b; _________________ 1aPotts, S., et al., (2015), Status and Trends of European Pollinators. Key Findings of the STEP Project, Pensoft Publishers, Sofia, 72 pp. 1bGallai, N., et al., (2009), Economic Valuation of the Vulnerability of World Agriculture Confronted with Pollinator Decline, Ecological Economics 68.3: 810- 821.
Amendment 11 #
Recital A b (new)
A b. whereas the Commission launched the EU Pollinators Initiative in response to the calls of the European Parliament and the Council to address the decline of pollinators on 1 June 2018;
Amendment 12 #
Recital A b (new)
A b. whereas pollinators include insects such as bees, hoverflies, butterflies, moths, beetles, wasps, thrips and mammals such as bats and birds;
Amendment 13 #
Recital A c (new)
A c. whereas pollinators represent one of the most important indicators of the health of our environment; whereas statistics and trends from across Europe, while sometimes partial, all point to a worrisome decline in pollinator populations;
Amendment 14 #
Recital A c (new)
A c. whereas the poor conservation status of butterflies and their semi natural grassland habitats is clear and a good proxy for the situation of wild bees, hoverflies, moths and other pollinators;
Amendment 15 #
Recital A d (new)
Amendment 19 #
Recital B
B. whereas, in order to adequately protect pollinators from further decline, the presence of pesticide residues in the habitat of pollinators will need to be strongly reduced;
Amendment 20 #
Recital B
B. whereas, in order to adequately protect pollinators, the presencuse of pesticide residues in the habitat of pollinatorss that harm pollinators and their food will need to be strongly reduced;
Amendment 21 #
Recital B
B. whereas, in order to adequately protect pollinators, the presence of pesticide residues in the habitat of pollinators will need to be strongly reduced;
Amendment 24 #
Recital C
C. whereas neonicotinoid usethe use of some pesticides has been linked to adverse ecological effects, including high risks to both domestic and wild bees, responsible for pollinating most crops worldwide;
Amendment 26 #
Recital C a (new)
C a. whereas according to Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 professional users of pesticides must keep records of pesticide use for at least 3 years, containing the name of the plant protection product, the time and the dose of application, the area and the crop where the product was used;
Amendment 29 #
Recital E
E. whereas however, several Member States notified emergency derogations regarding the use of these neonicotinoids on their territory; whereas these notifications of Member States regarding those emergency authorisations are often of very poor quality and are not made publicare often of very poor quality and are not made public, while EFSA concluded that for about one third of the products for which emergency authorisations were granted, alternatives would have been available;
Amendment 35 #
Recital F
F. whereas, in 2013, EFSA updated the methodology for the assessment of risks posed by EFSA's Guidance Document on the risk assessment of plant protection products ton bees, taking into account not only chronical risks to honeybees but also adding risk assessment schemes for bumble bees and solitary bees; whereas this method was fully applied in the EFSA assessments with regard to three neonicotinoid approved in 2013 representing the most updated scientific methodology of the risks of pesticides to Apis mellifera, Bombus spp. and solitary bees has not been endorsed by the Member States fully; whereas this situation undermines the proper application of the approval criteria of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 and thus better protection of these species;
Amendment 36 #
Recital F a (new)
F a. whereas, aside from the impact of insecticides on pollinators, wide-spectrum herbicides used on a landscape scale, e.g. as a pre-emergent weedkillers or as desiccants, destroy the food sources of pollinators outside of the main crop flowering periods and contribute to population crashes;
Amendment 37 #
Recital G
Amendment 39 #
Recital G a (new)
G a. whereas even the full application of the 2013 EFSA Bee Guidance would still leave butterflies, moths and hoverflies unprotected by the pesticide approval regime;
Amendment 40 #
Recital G b (new)
G b. whereas many pollinator habitats have become highly fragmented and specialist species are under increasing threat from habitat mismanagement and climate change;
Amendment 41 #
Recital H
H. whereas connected pollinator habitats, such as buffer strips and grassy waterways, can contribute to erosion control and in general to an improvement of biodiversity and are potentially useful for improving the quality of the food available for both domestic bees and wild pollinators;
Amendment 42 #
Recital H
H. whereas connected pollinator habitats, such as buffer strips, hedgerows and grassy waterways, can contribute to erosion control;
Amendment 43 #
Recital H
H. whereas connected pollinator habitats, such as buffer strips and grassy waterways, can contribute to soil erosion control;
Amendment 44 #
Recital I
I. whereas using indigenous flowers is of particular importance foroccurrence, conservation and restoration of areas of indigenous flowers, also in urban areas, is essential for healthy populations of wild pollinators;
Amendment 48 #
Recital J
J. whereas wild pollinators and beekeepers in Europe provide pollination services almost entirely for free; whereas this is in stark contrast to other parts of the world, where the cost of pollination is consistent with other farm inputs such as seeds, fertilisers, and pesticides;
Amendment 52 #
Recital K
K. whereas this mostly gratuitous pollination service supplements that of wild pollinators and is only possible because the main revenue source for beekeepers is the sale of honey and other bee products; whereas imports of adulterated honey threaten the economic basis of beekeeping in the EU;
Amendment 53 #
Recital K a (new)
K a. whereas agri-environmental measures have not been implemented at a sufficient scale across the EU to compensate for the losses of pollinator habitats and declines in habitat quality; and greening has failed to provide significant improvement;
Amendment 55 #
Recital K b (new)
K b. whereas the introduction of a pollinator indicator can contribute to optimal decision-making processes, more effective public spending, increased accountability and understanding of the impact of policies and legislation;
Amendment 56 #
Recital K c (new)
K c. whereas the introduction of a pollinator impact indicator was requested in the positions of the Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety and the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development in the context of the CAP Strategic Plans regulation proposal (COM(2018)-392);
Amendment 57 #
Recital K d (new)
K d. whereas nitrate emissions cause eutrophication and the growth of rank grasses, which crowd out the herbs and flowers in the sward, cover bare ground used as a nesting habitat by many pollinators, and cause low level shading that creates a cool microclimate unsuitable for many indigenous species;
Amendment 58 #
Paragraph 1
Amendment 59 #
Paragraph 2
2. Recognises that there are various positive elements in the Initiative in terms of setting strategic objectives and a set of actions to be taken by the EU and its Member States; applauds work already being carried out at local level to protect pollinator habitats;
Amendment 61 #
Paragraph 2
2. Recognises that there are various positive elements in thee added value of the EU Pollinators Initiative in terms of setting strategic objectives and a set of actions to be taken by the EU and its Member States;
Amendment 73 #
Paragraph 3
3. However, considerRecalls that the Initiative fails to sufficiently address the mainhighlights the importance of targeting the root causes of wild pollinators’ decline, which include land-use changes and loss of habitats, intensive agricultural management practices, plant protection products, diseases, climate change and invasive alien species; considers that the implementation of "Priority II: Tackling the causes of pollinator decline" is of the utmost urgency;
Amendment 74 #
Paragraph 4
4. Considers that pollinators are an essential component of biodiversity and are indispensable for reproduction in many plant species; acknowledges that a decreasing pollinator population affects the quality and quantity of agricultural yields and the economic returns for farmers;
Amendment 76 #
Paragraph 5
5. Highlights the importance of adopting a holistic approach and of evaluating the impact of existing policy measures in order to effectively tackle the decline of pollinators in the Union; stresses the need to apply the precautionary principle to protect pollinators in general, both domestic and wild;
Amendment 79 #
Paragraph 6
6. Stresses the need to protect the diversity of pollinator species in Europe and worldwide;
Amendment 80 #
Paragraph 7
7. Stresses the importance of promoting measures to encourage biodiversity in both rural and urban areas, given that pollinator health is fostered by access to a mixture of different pollen and plantslants that provide nectar and pollen, as well as habitats for nesting, mating and overwintering;
Amendment 82 #
Paragraph 7
7. Stresses the importance of promoting measures to encourage biodiversity, given that pollinator health is fostered by access to a mixture of different pollen and plantdepends on species-rich habitats providing diverse and continuous food and nesting resources;
Amendment 84 #
Subheading 2
Amendment 85 #
Subheading 2
Amendment 87 #
Subheading 2 a (new)
Urges the Commission to embed the EU Pollinators Initiative and its results in the development of the post-2020 EU Biodiversity Strategy, and to transform the intentions of the Initiative into a full- scale action programme for pollinators with sufficient resources;
Amendment 88 #
Subheading 2 b (new)
Highlights the importance of pollinators to agriculture, the threat to food productions posed by current declines and the need to take urgent and transformative action to protect and restore pollinators and their services;
Amendment 89 #
Paragraph 8
8. Stresses that boosting biodiversity and thus fostering the occurrence of pollinators' habitats on the agricultural land must become a key aim in the development of the future Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which must seek to reduce pesticide usein particular support preservation of High Nature Value Farming areas and creation of set-asides for nature, reduction of pesticide and mineral fertiliser use, and encourage polycultures and crop rotation;
Amendment 94 #
Paragraph 8
8. Stresses that boosting biodiversity and thus fostering the occurrence and quality of pollinators' habitats on the agricultural land must become a key aim in the development of the future Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which must seek to reduce pesticide use;
Amendment 99 #
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Urges the Commission to embed the EU Pollinators Initiative and its results in the development of the post- 2020 EU Biodiversity Strategy, and to transform the intentions of the Initiative into a full-scale action programme for pollinators relying on sufficient resources;
Amendment 100 #
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Calls on the Commission and Member States to ensure provision of high-quality advice to farmers on biodiversity and pollinators through farm advisory systems;
Amendment 104 #
Paragraph 9
9. Stresses that thpesticide reduction of pesticide use should therefore be set as a target in Member States’ strategic pplan, with clear targets, milestones and timeline, should be set in each Member States’ National Action Plans, and pesticide reduction should be set as a ‘common indicator’ with which to monitor success; believes that EU-wide mandatory reduction targets should be included in the upcoming revision of EU Directive on Sustainable Use of Pesticides (2009/128/EC).
Amendment 108 #
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9 a. Calls on the Commission to review the revised National Action Plans and to take all available actions to ensure Member States adequately commit to pesticide use reduction targets and the necessary monitoring;
Amendment 110 #
Paragraph 10
10. Stresses that according to the Sustainable Use of Pesticides Directive (128/2009/EC), non-chemical methods of pest control shouldmust be used as a priorityfirst, to replace pesticides, with a view to protecting pollinators;
Amendment 111 #
Paragraph 11
11. Calls on the Commission to propose legislation prohibiting the production, sale and use of all neonicotinoid-based pesticides throughout the Union without derogationsystematically request the opinion of the European Food Safety Authority in case that Member States give an emergency authorisation for a neonicotinoid-based plant protection product, based on article 53 of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009;
Amendment 114 #
Paragraph 11
11. Calls on the Commission to propose legislation prohibiting the production, sale and use of all neonicotinoid-based pesticides intended for outdoor use throughout the Union without derogation;
Amendment 116 #
Paragraph 12
12. Calls on the Commission to set detailed rules for and ensure a minimum standard of notifications on emergency authorisations of pesticides, including the need for Member States to provide complete and detailed explanations, and to make those notifications public; welcomes the role of EFSA in examining these derogations;
Amendment 118 #
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12 a. Stresses that professional users of plant protection products should, for at least three years, keep detailed records of the plant protection products' usage, area, timing and dose of application; notes that the relevant information recorded should be available to the competent authority on request, in order to monitor adherence to the cross-compliance rules and to track performance of the CAP in terms of pesticide use reductions across the EU;
Amendment 123 #
Paragraph 13
13. Calls on the Commission and the Member States in the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed to adopt without delay the updated bee guidance used by EFSA in its recent revto ensure the full adoption of the 2013 EFSA bee guidance as a matter of urgency, including the requirements with regard to chronic and larvae toxicity as well as concerning speciews of three neonicotinoidther than honey bees;
Amendment 124 #
Paragraph 13
13. Calls on the Commission and the Member States in the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed to adoptfully adopt in all its dimensions and without delay the updated bee guidance used by EFSA in its recent review of three neonicotinoids;
Amendment 126 #
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13 a. Calls on the Commission to request from EFSA a pesticide guidance document setting out pre-approval tests to provide protection for butterflies, moths and hoverflies;
Amendment 128 #
Paragraph 14
Amendment 129 #
Paragraph 14
Amendment 136 #
Paragraph 15
15. Calls on the Commission to include in the objectives of the CAP limits to the objective of increasing productivity and, to regulate intensive farming practices, in order to improve the habitat and forage space for beand to encourage the use of greening measures which qualitatively and quantitatively improve the habitat and forage space for pollinators and fight the homogenisation of European landscapes;
Amendment 138 #
Paragraph 15
15. Calls on the Commission to include in the objectives of the CAP limits to the objective of increasing productivity and to regulate intensive farming practices, in order to improve the habitat and forage space for beethrough intensification of the use of external inputs, such as pesticides and fertilisers, and set an objective on the transition towards agroecology to ensure long-term productivity and a sustainable income for farmers;
Amendment 142 #
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15 a. Calls on the Commission and Member States to support green infrastructure that recreates and restores mosaics of habitats and functional connectivity for pollinators in rural and urban landscapes;
Amendment 144 #
Paragraph 16
16. Calls on the Commission and Member States to promote the concept of buffer strips and grassy/ flowering waterways with a view to provide both better erosion control as well as perennial flowering areas as foraging opportunity and habitat for pollinators in rural, semi- urban, and urban areas;
Amendment 145 #
Paragraph 16
16. Calls on the Commission and Member States to promote the concept of buffer strips and grassy/ flowering waterways and maintain well managed hedgerows with a view to provide both better erosion control as well as perennial flowering areas as foraging opportunity and habitat for pollinators;
Amendment 147 #
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16 a. Calls on the Member States to support early listing on the Union List of species that present a risk to pollinators, to respond quickly to control and eliminate such species, to increase vigilance, and to take of restrictive actions when pathways are identified;
Amendment 149 #
Paragraph 16 b (new)
16 b. Stresses that effective biosecurity measures need to be introduced for potted plants and soil before moving significant distances and encourages public bodies responsible for the management of green areas to use local plants, maximising benefits for local pollinators and minimising spread of invasive alien species;
Amendment 150 #
Paragraph 16 c (new)
16 c. Calls on the Commision to apply the EU ecolabel to pollinator friendly potted plants which display their place of origin, are placed in a sustainable container, do not use peat, and do not contain insecticides;
Amendment 156 #
Paragraph 17 b (new)
17 b. Calls on Member States to ensure that national and regional farm advisory systems are able to provide good quality advice to farmers on how to encourage biodiversity and pollinator habitats;
Amendment 160 #
Paragraph 19
19. Calls for more funds for research and for the monitoring of wild pollinatoron the Commission and Member States to establish a systematic and standardised monitoring of wild pollinators and the main pressures they face, in order to build a good understanding of the magnitude of their decline and its causes and to enable full evaluation of the effectiveness of relevant EU and national policies;
Amendment 163 #
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19 a. Calls for more emphasis to be placed on field research and pollinators other than honeybees and butterflies; stresses that the systematic monitoring in real life conditions is important to gauge the extent of pollinator decline and its causes;
Amendment 164 #
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19 a. Calls on the Commission and Member States to ensure integration of funding needs for the monitoring of wild pollinators into the CAP Strategic Plans, in order to secure robust data for building a CAP indicator on pollinators as per the commitment made in the EU Pollinators Initiative;
Amendment 165 #
Paragraph 19 b (new)
19 b. Calls on the Commission and Member States to increase funding for basic and applied research on pollinators, and invest in strengthening and expanding the poll of taxonomic expertise, including through EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation;
Amendment 169 #
Paragraph 20
20. Considers it appropriate to support eco-innovation1a in agriculture and the development of low-risk pesticides that are harmless to pollinators; _________________ 1aDefined by the Commission as any innovation resulting in significant progress towards the goal of sustainable development, by reducing the impacts of our production modes on the environment, enhancing nature’s resilience to environmental pressures, or achieving a more efficient and responsible use of natural resources.
Amendment 171 #
Paragraph 21
21. Calls for support foron the Commission and Member States to support citizens science focusing on recording and monitoring of pollinators and the training of beekeepers to promote a non-intrusive Union surveillance of bees through the development of indicators of colony vitality;