Summary of the day
The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said she would suggest withdrawing a plan to reduce pesticides and could propose a different one.
The move is part of Brussels’ gesturing to farmers amid protests across the continent.
The European farming lobby, Copa and Cogeca, welcomed the announcement, writing that the “European Commission is finally acknowledging that the approach was not the right one, and is thereby reinforcing the credibility and importance of the ongoing strategic dialogue.”
The Belgian prime minister, Alexander De Croo, also welcomed the move, saying that it is “crucial we keep our farmers on board to a more sustainable future of farming, as part of our determination to get the Green Deal done. The dialogue continues.”
MEP Alexander Bernhuber, the European People’s Party group’s chief negotiator on pesticides, said that “this is a first good sign that the Commission will work with farmers to tackle climate change rather than against them.”
Green MEP Sarah Wiener said that negotiations on the new pesticides regulation had been stuck for months and that “it is regrettable that it had to come to this, but at the same time this gives us a new opportunity to continue working on the SUR.”
The European Commission today also recommended a 90% net greenhouse gas emissions reduction by 2040 compared to 1990 levels, though the proposal was interpreted as a watered down version of earlier plans due to political pressure linked to farmers’ concerns.
Greenpeace criticised the Commission proposal, arguing that “the absence of a phase-out plan for fossil fuels, and even for subsidies, not only delays the climate action we urgently need, but will end up hurting people more.”
Spanish farmers used WhatsApp groups to stage a series of informal protests today, blocking off major roads around the country to demand fair prices for their produce and a reduction in bureaucracy.
Italian farmers are staging a significant demonstration in Rome this week by driving their tractors around the city, while their colleagues in the north led a cow through the streets of Milan.
Italian senators are to debate plans by the far-right government to decriminalise abuse of office, a decision that has sparked tension with the EU and raised fears over the potential for mafia infiltration in the public sector.
Commission recommends 90% net greenhouse gas emissions reduction by 2040
The European Commission today recommended a 90% net greenhouse gas emissions reduction by 2040 compared to 1990 levels.
In a statement, the Commission said:
Today’s communication also sets out a number of enabling policy conditions which are necessary to achieve the 90% target.
They include the full implementation of the agreed 2030 framework, ensuring the competitiveness of the European industry, a greater focus on a just transition that leaves no one behind, a level playing field with international partners, and a strategic dialogue on the post-2030 framework, including with industry and the agricultural sector.
Updated
Farmers are protesting in different parts of the continent today. Here are some of the latest photos.
Pulling pesticides proposal 'regrettable' but 'new opportunity', Greens say
The Greens group in the European parliament has called for a “strong” proposal after the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said she would withdraw the proposed sustainable use of pesticides regulation (SUR).
Green MEP Sarah Wiener, the rapporteur for the file, said:
Since the negotiations on the new Pesticides Regulation have been stuck for months, the Commission today pulled the plug and announced it is taking its proposal off the table.
It is regrettable that it had to come to this, but at the same time this gives us a new opportunity to continue working on the SUR.
Ahead of the election, the Greens/EFA will be pushing to see this proposal back on the agenda. Sustainable use of pesticides is key to save biodiversity and pollinators as well as protecting public health and the health of farmers.
She added:
What is needed are rules for pesticide reduction that will bring about real change in agriculture.
This includes the promotion of integrated pest management - chemicals must be the last resort - and the protection of the environment and health. Pesticides have no place in cities and public parks.
Financial support for farmers who reduce the use of pesticides is also particularly important. There must be clear incentives for an agricultural turnaround. Finally, clear targets are needed.
The impact of farmers’ protests can be felt at a Brussels supermarket, where products are missing.
Effect of farmers protests and road blockages still being felt in Brussels pic.twitter.com/WEkKCaCE89
— Lisa O'Carroll (@lisaocarroll) February 6, 2024
Italian farmers protest red tape and cheap imports
Italian farmers, protesting about red tape and cheap imports from outside the EU, are staging a significant demonstration in Rome this week by driving their tractors around the city, while their colleagues in the north led a cow through the streets of Milan.
They are coming from different agricultural regions and heading towards the capital, flying the Italian flag and carrying hand-written signs with slogans including “No farmer, No food”.
Italian farmers, like their fellow counterparts across Europe, have echoed many of the concerns expressed during recent waves of protests.
They are also exerting pressure for the reinstatement of an income tax exemption implemented in 2017, which the government discontinued in the 2024 budget legislation.
Their main grievances include cheap imports from non-European Union regions such as north Africa, as well as rising fuel prices and the ramifications of EU environmental protection and climate change countermeasures.
“From Thursday the mobilisation will begin’’, said Danilo Calvani, one of the leaders of the protest and head of the ‘Cra Agricoltori traditi’ movement. ‘
’Our vehicles will converge on various collection points around the capital and next week there will be a big demonstration in Rome. We still have to establish the details,” he added, “but we will probably also hold a procession with tractors.”
EU Commission waters down pollution targets with eyes on protesting farmers
The European Commission will announce a goal to sharply cut its greenhouse gas pollution this afternoon, with targets that it reportedly watered down to avoid angering farmers.
Leaked drafts suggest the EU plans to pump 90% less planet-heating gas into the atmosphere by 2040 than it did in 1990 — a target just shy of the 90-95% that its scientific watchdog recommended.
As of 2021, according to the European Environment Agency, the 27 member states had cut emissions by just 30%. The pace of change would have to pick up quickly for the EU to hit its goal.
The 2040 target is part of a bid to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent and stop extreme weather from growing more violent.
But ongoing protests from farmers have forced the Commission and some member states in recent weeks to roll back plans to protect nature, some of which are key to its climate goals.
According to officials speaking to the Financial Times and a draft seen by Politico, the new proposal will scrap targets to cut emissions from farms. It also removes mentions of behaviour change and cuts to fossil fuel subsidies, the reports said.
Europe’s farms are only a little less dirty than they were three decades ago. Even as the EU has closed coal plants and built wind turbines and solar panels, it has made little progress cleaning up sectors like agriculture and transport.
Spanish farmers stage protests, blocking roads and port
Spanish farmers used WhatsApp groups to stage a series of informal protests on Tuesday, blocking off major roads around the country to demand fair prices for their produce and a reduction in bureaucracy.
Their demonstrations cut off roads in the regions of Madrid, Catalonia, Andalucía, Valencia, La Rioja, Castilla-La Mancha and Castilla y León. They also blockaded the port of Málaga and obstructed access to a massive wholesale market in Valladolid.
Among the signs flown by the tractors was one that read: “Our end will mean your hunger!”
Tuesday’s protests herald a month of formal, joint actions coordinated by Spain’s biggest farming associations.
Asaja and other groups – including the Coordinator of Farmers and Livestock Farmers and the Union of Small Growers and Livestock Farmers – say their protests will begin on Thursday and stretch on until 22 February.
“We’re trying to explain our grievances in a concrete, concise and unanimous way,” Donanciano Dujo, the vice-president of the Asaja farming association told Spain’s state broadcaster TVE on Tuesday morning. “Once we’ve gone beyond the provincial and regional level, we’ll take the protests national and then we’ll go to Brussels.”
Among their demands are a revision of the European green deal, which, they argue, “forces us to abandon productive lands, to drastically reduce pesticides and fertilisers, and which is an attack on meat consumption”.
They are also calling for the common agricultural policy (CAP) to be safeguarded, for administrative and bureaucratic changes to make business easier for growers and livestock farmers, and for more protection against non-EU competition.
Updated
Italy’s far-right government submits plan to decriminalise abuse of office
Italian senators are to debate plans by the far-right government to decriminalise abuse of office, a decision that has sparked tension with the EU and raised fears over the potential for mafia infiltration in the public sector.
Punishable by up to four years in prison, the charge of abuse of office can be brought against public officials, including mayors and local administrators, who are suspected of intentionally exploiting their public position for their own or someone else’s benefit.
According to Carlo Nordio, the justice minister, the crime is too vague and discourages local politicians and civil servants from signing off on projects due to fears they will end up under investigation, thus causing “economic damage that affects citizens”.
But in a country where the mafia has often infiltrated the public sector, magistrates have raised concerns about the essential role the charge plays in the safeguarding of public administration. Abolishing it, they warn, could simply facilitate white-collar and economic crimes and deepen the links between politics and organised crime.
Read the full story here.
Election Watch: Portugal
Portugal will hold a parliamentary election next month.
New polling conducted for RTP, Antena 1 and Público found:
Centre-right Democratic Alliance (AD): 32%
Centre-left Socialist Party (PS): 28%
Far-right Chega: 19%
Greenpeace criticises EU climate target
In a statement this morning, Greenpeace has raised concerns that “leaked drafts of the European Commission’s proposed 2040 EU climate target to be announced later today does not include dates to phase out coal, oil and gas” and that “the Commission has also backpedalled on plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions from farming.”
Greenpeace EU climate campaigner Silvia Pastorelli said:
This is about as meaningful as a target to prevent lung cancer without any plan to end smoking. It is blatantly clear that fossil fuels must be brought to a swift end if we want to avoid the worst effects of climate breakdown.
The absence of a phase-out plan for fossil fuels, and even for subsidies, not only delays the climate action we urgently need, but will end up hurting people more.
Updated
Farming lobby welcomes EU commission move on pesticides
Reacting to Ursula von der Leyen’s announcement that she would suggest withdrawing a proposal on reducing pesticides, the European farming lobby, Copa and Cogeca, said:
This morning’s announcement by President Von der Leyen on the withdrawal of the SUR proposal puts an end to an impasse: this top-down proposal stemming from the Farm2Fork logic was poorly designed, poorly evaluated, poorly financed, and offered little alternatives to farmers.
The European Commission is finally acknowledging that the approach was not the right one, and is thereby reinforcing the credibility and importance of the ongoing strategic dialogue.
This morning's announcement by President @vonderleyen on the withdrawal of the #SUR proposal puts an end to an impasse: this top-down proposal stemming from the #Farm2Fork logic was poorly designed, poorly evaluated, poorly financed, and offered little alternatives to farmers.… https://t.co/rnJ6l0OqOv pic.twitter.com/ElKlfHaNH9
— COPA-COGECA (@COPACOGECA) February 6, 2024
The centre-right is celebrating the European Commission’s move to withdraw a proposal on pesticide reduction.
MEP Alexander Bernhuber, the European People’s Party group’s chief negotiator on pesticides, said in a statement that “this is a first good sign that the Commission will work with farmers to tackle climate change rather than against them.”
He added:
We have always said that it would be irresponsible to jeopardise European food production in the face of current crises through unrealistic requirements and bureaucracy.
We are ready at any time to work together with the Commission for effective climate protection and a secure food supply.
Meanwhile, Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, has arrived in Kyiv.
Back in Kyiv for my fourth visit since the start of Russia’s full scale invasion.
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) February 6, 2024
Here to discuss with our Ukrainian friends the EU’s unwavering support to Ukraine - on military side, on the financial side with the new Ukraine facility, as well as on the EU reform path. pic.twitter.com/fnvZuYWOJv
“It is in everyone’s interest, especially the farmers’, that we reduce use of pesticides,” said Green MEP Bas Eickhout.
“Naive to think pesticides industry will not fight it again,” he added.
So Commission withdraws proposal on pesticides reduction. @vonderleyen says she 'could' come with a new proposal. And she should! It is in everyone's interest, especially the farmers', that we reduce use of pesticides. Naive to think pesticides industry will not fight it again.
— Bas Eickhout (@BasEickhout) February 6, 2024
“We support sustainable agriculture, but its goals must be achieved with farmers, not against them,” said centre-right member of the European parliament Siegfried Mureșan, in response to Ursula von der Leyen’s announcement withdrawing a proposal on reducing pesticides.
President @vonderleyen announced in #EPlenary the withdrawal of the controversial reduction of pesticide consumption proposal.
— Siegfried Muresan 🇷🇴🇪🇺 (@SMuresan) February 6, 2024
We, @EPPGroup, have always been against the proposal. We support sustainable agriculture, but its goals must be achieved with farmers, not against them.
Belgian prime minister welcomes withdrawal of EU pesticides proposal
Alexander De Croo, the Belgian prime minister, has reacted to Ursula von der Leyen’s speech in the European parliament, writing on social media that he welcomes the announcement to withdraw a proposal on pesticides.
The Belgian leader said:
Crucial we keep our farmers on board to a more sustainable future of farming, as part of our determination to get the Green Deal done. The dialogue continues.
I welcome the announcement of President @vonderleyen to withdraw the SUR-regulation on pesticides.
— Alexander De Croo 🇧🇪🇪🇺 (@alexanderdecroo) February 6, 2024
Crucial we keep our farmers on board to a more sustainable future of farming, as part of our determination to get the Green Deal done.
The dialogue continues.
The work continues. https://t.co/9oKDPYdve9
Von der Leyen suggests withdrawing pesticides reduction proposal
In a nod to farmers, in her speech to MEPs Ursula von der Leyen said she will suggest withdrawing a proposal on reducing risks of chemical plant production products, and that the Commission could put forward a different proposal.
A report on an ongoing strategic dialogue on the future of agriculture will be presented by late summer, von der Leyen said, stressing the need for a “long-term” prospect for the sector.
Updated
Farmers need 'real incentive' for nature protection, von der Leyen says
Speaking in the European parliament, the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, underscored the need for incentives for nature conservation.
She said Europe has the highest quality food in the world and farmers “play a central role in this system, and of course, they must be paid fairly for that.”
Noting that there is huge support from the EU budget for the sector, the president added:
Money is important, but it is not everything. Healthy natural resources are also key to maintaining high yields, and in particular, fertile soils has always been the backbone of our farmers’ livelihood.
And we know that 60 to 70% of soils in Europe are now in poor condition.
We can reverse these trends, and many farmers are precisely doing that, but we need to do more.
Now, effective nature protection must offer generous incentives for intervening. Farmers need a worthwhile business case for nature-enhancing measures – perhaps we have not made that case convincingly – a real incentive that goes beyond mere loss of yields is required.
Von der Leyen also said:
Public subsidies can provide those incentives, and for example, premium labelling in cooperation with retailers and processors. In other words, nature conservation can only be successful through a bottom-up and incentive-based approach.
Because only if our farmers can live off their land, will they invest in the future. And only if we achieve our climate and environmental goals together, will farmers be able to continue making a living. Our farmers are well-aware of this, and we should place more trust in them.
'Our farmers deserve to be listened to,' Commission chief says
Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, told the European parliament this morning that “our farmers deserve to be listened to.”
While the European Council was in session, farmers from across Europe were taking to the streets.
Many of them feel pushed into a corner. Farmers are the first in line feeling the effects of climate change: droughts and floods have destroyed the harvest and threatened their livestocks. Farmers are feeling the impact of the Russian war: inflation, the rising cost of energy, the rising cost of fertilisers.
Nevertheless, they work hard every day to produce the quality food we eat. And for this I think we owe them appreciations and thanks and respect.
But, von der Leyen told MEPs, “issues have escalated in recent years” and “our farmers deserve to be listened to.”
She added:
I know that they are worried about the future of agriculture and about their future as farmers.
But they also know that agriculture needs to move to a more sustainable model of production so that their farms remain profitable in the years to come.
And we want to make sure that in this process, the farmers remain in the driving seat.
Von der Leyen stressed that a dialogue is ongoing.
We need to move beyond a polarised debate and to create trust. Trust is the crucial basis for viable solutions.
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