Bijdrage mili­eu­com­missie over de bijen­richtlijn en de bescherming van bestuivers tijdens een gedach­te­wis­seling met Julia Klöckner, Duits minister van Voedsel en Landbouw

Anja Hazekamp (PvdD): Dear minister, I would like to draw your attention to the alarming conclusions of the new report on pollinator protection by the European Court of Auditors. It says European measures did not ensure the protection of wild pollinators, the biodiversity strategy to 2020 was ineffective in preventing their decline, the Common Agricultural Policy does not include specific requirements for the protection of wild pollinators, and EU pesticides legislation is a main cause of wild pollinator loss.

Instead of drawing lessons from this audit, EU lawmakers are negotiating this week about the bee-guidance proposal drafted by lobbyists of the chemical industry. The council is steering towards adopting a so-called ‘beehave’ proposal which is literally drafted by Syngenta. This proposal will boost the profits of the chemical industry, but it will not protect bees and other pollinators. Already since EFSA put forward its bee-guidance in 2013, it has been under heavy attack by the industry and many member states, including The Netherlands. They have been defending the industry interest.

This Parliament has made it very clear that it will not accept anything less than the full protection of bees that the EU legislation prescribes. Last October an objection was carried, in which the parliament calls for full protection of bees against chemicals causing acute, chronic and larval toxicity, including effects on bumblebees. But now we hear that three out of four options currently on the table in ScoPaff will not provide adequate protection to pollinators.

The German presidency has declared that halting biodiversity loss and ensuring sustainable farming practices are priorities. So minister, can you tell us what lessons you will draw from the devastating report of the court of auditors, and how are you going to save the bees? Are you willing to take the discussions on bee guidance out of the closed meeting rooms of ScoPaff and bring the debate to the Council? The bees need you to convince the council that only the original bee-guidance proposed by EFSA will give sufficient protection to bees, bumblebees and other pollinators.

Thank you.