This is the result of a successful European Citizens Initiative Save the bees and farmers! For which more than 1.1 million signatures have been collected in eleven countries of the European Union, including 97,593 Dutch.
The regulators are calling for the EU’s daily administration to come up with legislative proposals to phase out the use of synthetic pesticides, from 80 percent in 2030 to 100 percent in 2035. The signatories also want to restore biodiversity on farmland and support farmers financially during a transition to agriculture. Ecological, with optimal use of natural resources. The Citizens Initiative is called in full: Save the Bees! Protecting biodiversity and improving insect habitats in Europe.
“This is a strong democratic signal to the EU and national policy makers to listen to citizens and distance themselves from toxic pesticides,” said Martin Dermin of the initiative. “Farmers and science have shown that agroecology can feed the world without chemicals.” The organization will now be invited to the committee for an explanation and for a hearing in the European Parliament.
The European Citizens Initiative was introduced to give EU citizens a greater say in European legislation. It has been in effect since 2012. The organization must first get the committee excited about its initiative, and if it likes it, it must collect 1 million signatures in at least seven EU countries. If the commission decides to act on it, it is not obligated to make legislative proposals.
Save the Bees is the seventh initiative of European citizens. At the end of 2020, a large appeal from the population led to Brussels legislation for the first time. It’s about the European Citizens Right2Water initiative, to improve the tap water in the European Union that is accessible to everyone. This initiative has been supported by more than 1.8 million Europeans.
Source: Petra Janbroers (jkr) ANP
