Activites

• 2004/03/11 Final act published in Official Journal
• 2003/03/27 Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
  • T5-0128/2003 summary

    The European Parliament adopted a resolution by 239 votes to 192 with 29 abstentions on reducing pesticides based on its own-initiative report drawn up by Kathleen VAN BREMPT (PES, Belgium). It regretted the fact that the Commission proposed no binding measures or economic instruments. (Please refer to the document dated 19/02/03.) It stressed the need for urgent and mandatory complementary action on pesticide use reduction and asked the Commission to speed up the development of effective measures, and to define clear goals and timetables for each Member State, taking into account reductions already achieved in some Member States since the implementation of their national reduction plans. Members did not, however, vote for a 50% reduction within ten years. They also voted down the committee's request for a regulatory framework for taxes and other levies on pesticides, as well as the clause on GMOs and the precautionary principle. In addition to extending the scope of the thematic strategy to non-agricultural pesticides, Parliament stressed the need for mandatory national use and risk reduction programmes, including quantitative reduction targets to be achieved by adopting a mix of mandatory and voluntary measures. These programmes should contain, among others, national action plans designed to reduce pesticide and measures to raise awareness, as well as mandatory requirements relating to technical equipment, preparation, storage and application. Parliament asked the Commission to propose: - a legally binding EU-wide pesticides pass in which the producer indicates the use of all pesticides in agriculture and in the storage of each product, in order to enable appropriate food controls to be carried out; - ban on the use in special protection zones such as for drinking water abstraction, on the use of pesticides in schools, playgrounds and parks in order to protect children, and in areas close to inhabited zones; - a system of compulsory protection zones for all surface water at European level; - an approximation of information systems relating to contamination caused by pesticides. Concrete and mandatory targets and timetables should be set for Integrated Crop Management and sustainable organic agriculture, and Integrated Pest Management should be made mandatory for all public authorities. The Commission should lay down clear definitions of these terms as well as minimum criteria and set deadlines for the mandatory application of ICM on all cultivated land not yet in organic farming.�

• 2003/03/26 Debate in Parliament
  • Debate in Parliament
• 2003/02/19 Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
  • A5-0061/2003
• 2003/01/16 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
• #2473
• 2002/12/09 Council Meeting
• 2002/07/01 Non-legislative basic document published
  • COM(2002)0349 summary

    PURPOSE : to launch a public debate on a thematic strategy on the sustainable use of pesticides. CONTENT : this Communication represents a major step in the preparation of the Thematic Strategy on the Sustainable Use of Pesticides. The main objectives of the thematic strategy are: - to minimise the hazards and risks to health and environment from the use of pesticides; - to improve controls on the use and distribution of pesticides; - to reduce the levels of harmful active substances, in particular by replacing the most dangerous by safer (including non-chemical) alternatives; - to encourage the use of low-input or pesticide-free crop farming; - to establish a transparent system for reporting and monitoring progress including the development of appropriate indicators. The current situation in the Community and the Member States is presented on the basis of the available preparatory work. This includes quantitative data on PPP use and the benefits, costs and risks associated with their use. There is a short summary of policies and initiatives already in place in some Member States, which are not yet co-ordinated, and a review of available statistics and indicators. The core chapter of the Communication suggests several possible measures addressing the five above-mentioned objectives, which could become part of the thematic strategy, and states the Commission's preferences as to which measures could be proposed. The Community and the Member States, in implementing such a strategy, could use many different instruments: legally binding measures, (economic) incentives, research or voluntary measures. Combination of all types of instruments is also possible. Many measures could most effectively be integrated in already existing or currently developing related policy areas, such as water protection, health and consumer protection (in particular food safety) and the Common Agricultural Policy. It is obvious that most of the proposed measures fall currently within the purview of the Member States. This is the case for actions concerning Codes of Good Farming Practices, the promotion of IPM, training programmes for users, further promotion of organic farming and low-input agriculture and the application of penalties including the reduction or even cancellation of benefits from the CAP. In order to achieve a higher level of harmonisation and better implementation, it might, however, be necessary to define minimum requirements at Community level. Some of the proposed measures could be most efficiently regulated at Community level (in close co-operation with Member States), such as the definition of adequate monitoring requirements, collection of use data and harmonised systems to report any incidents related to health or the environment. Public consultation on a future thematic strategy for the sustainable use of pesticides is proposed on the basis of these options. The Commission hereby invites all interested parties to discuss and comment on this document. A public hearing will be organised in the 4 th quarter of 2002. On the basis of the analyses developed in this Communication and the outcome of the consultation process, the Commission will propose at the beginning of 2004 all necessary measures setting out a comprehensive Community Thematic Strategy on theSustainable Use of Pesticides.�

  • DG [{'url': 'http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/environment/', 'title': 'Environment'}],

Documents

• Non-legislative basic document published: COM(2002)0349
• Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading: A5-0061/2003
• Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
• Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: T5-0128/2003

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)