- A European Citizens’ Initiative calling for a complete phase-out of synthetic pesticides by 2035 has passed the 1 million signature threshold needed to place it on the agenda of the European Commission and Parliament.
- The ‘Save Bees and Farmers’ initiative, spearheaded by national and EU organisations, calls for “a gradual elimination of 80% of the use of synthetic pesticides by 2030 and 100% by 2035,” as well as a restoration of biodiversity on agricultural land and financial support for farmers in the transition to agroecological practices.
- Martin Dermine, the main representative of this European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) and executive director of PAN Europe, called this a “strong democratic signal to EU and national decision-makers to listen to citizens and move away from toxic pesticides”.
Citizens initiative to phase out synthetic pesticides placed on EU agenda
