(27 April 2017) – Today, Member States’ representatives have backed a proposal by the European Commission to further restrict the use of three active substances known as “neonicotinoids”, for which a scientific review concluded that their outdoor use harms bees.
The protection of bees is an important issue for the Commission since it concerns biodiversity, food production and the environment.
The restrictions agreed today go beyond the measures already in place since 2013. All outdoor use of the three substances (imidacloprid, clothianidin and thiamethoxam) will be banned and the neonicotinoids in question will only be allowed in permanent greenhouses where no contact with bees is expected.
The Regulation will now be adopted by the European Commission in the coming weeks and become applicable by the end of the year.