During the plenary session (16-19 December 2019) of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, MEPs are expected to push for a further reduction in pesticide use, more funds for research and better monitoring in order to save pollinators such as bees, butterflies and other insects. Statements by Tytti TUPPURAINEN, Finnish Minister for European Affairs, Stella KYRIAKIDES, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Mairead MCGUINNESS (EPP, IE), István UJHELYI (S&D, HU), Pietro FIOCCHI (ECR, PT) and Othmar KARAS (EPP, AT).

EU Pollinators Initiative: extracts from the debate (17/12) and extracts from the vote

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/19188398/I182477Chapters%5BSD-EN%5D.srt

Title: EU Pollinators Initiative: extracts from the debate (17/12) and extracts from the vote (I-182477)

SOUNDBITE (English), Tytti TUPPURAINEN, Finnish Minister for European Affairs, The decline of pollinators has not stopped. The Intergovernmental Science Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services report "Global Assessment on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services" released in May this year provides a grim picture. And the global decline of biodiversity at unprecedented rates in human history is to a large extent caused by the loss of pollinators, which are the very basis of habitats and ecosystems.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stella KYRIAKIDES, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Our Common Agricultural Policy is essential to turn these challenges into opportunities. The role of Member States is critical. The future Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), in particular, offers them a significant opportunity to improve and scale up their actions on pollinators. As announced in the European Green Deal, and while we are still waiting for the adoption of the new CAP, the Commission will work with Member States to ensure that strategic plans are assessed? according to robust and environmental criteria and lead to more sustainable practices.

SOUNDBITE (English), Mairead MCGUINNESS (EPP, IE), We have to ensure that what we practice internally, where we restrict the use of risky pesticides and those that are damaging, is practiced outside of the European Union on food that we import. We have not done that in the past and we need to do it now. I want to thank the groups that we have worked well and we would card on this resolution because we all have a common aim: to not just preserve what we have, but to restore nature and to make sure that there is space for nature in all of our places, urban and rural. And gardeners and farmers all have an important role to play.

SOUNDBITE (Hungarian), Istv&#225;n UJHELYI (S&amp;D, HU), 90 percent of plants need pollinators. And did you know that the agricultural activities of the EU led to 84 percent of produced plants and 70 percent of wild plants rely on pollinators to survive?

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Pietro FIOCCHI (ECR, PT), There is a specific threat we are seeing in the south of Italy, it is spreading in Sicily and Calabria, moving north now. We see an invasive species that is destroying all our beehives. Therefore, I ask the Commission to set an operating a plan to stop this before it is too late.

SOUNDBITE (German), Othmar KARAS (EPP, AT), EP Vice-President, We are going now to the vote on EU initiatives on pollinators. First amendment: who is in favour? Who is against? Abstentions? Adopted

SOUNDBITE (German), Othmar KARAS (EPP, AT), EP Vice-President, We are voting now on the resolution as a whole. Who is in favour? Who is against? Abstentions? Adopted. Thank you very much.

Fecha de la noticia	18/12/2019
Reference:	I182477V
Format:	16:9 format
Copyright:	© European Union
copyrightYear:	2019

EU Pollinators Initiative: extracts from the debate (17/12) and extracts from the vote

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