European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Tuesday that in the face of rural protests, a worsening situation and a lack of support in both the European Parliament and the Council (i.e. national governments), the decision has been taken to withdraw the new pesticide regulation proposed last year. ” Conservation can only succeed through a bottom-up approach based on incentives, because only if our farmers can live off the land will they invest in the future. And only if we meet our climate and environmental goals together can farmers continue to make a living. Our farmers know this very well, and we need to trust them more. Let me give you an example. The SUR proposed by the Commission to reduce the risk of polarization of phytosanitary chemicals was rejected. There is no progress in the European Parliament and in the Council either. That is why I will propose to the College to withdraw this proposal,” he said, speaking to MEPs.
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Von der Leyen’s move has two angles. The first, correction. For the first time, such a powerful president, who is unwilling to correct herself or admit mistakes, is admitting that her approach has led to a dead end. She is convinced it is the right thing to do, but after seeing the demonstrations, listening to leaders like Emmanuel Macron and, above all, feeling immense pressure from her own political family in the weeks before the European elections, the German is correcting course. “Effective conservation must provide generous incentives to intervene. Farmers need a worthwhile business case for taking action to improve nature ; we may not have presented it convincingly,” he added.
Last week, farmers and landowners across Europe shut down the European Quarter in Brussels as the continent’s leaders met at the European Council. Just as they laid siege to Paris last week. The European People’s Party called for a “regulatory pause” for a year to slow the legislative and regulatory battery for a year or two, but von der Leyen and the commissioners did the opposite, speeding up the process in view of the imminent end. of the legislature.
