Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-03-26-Speech-3-132"
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"en.20030326.8.3-132"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, the Commissioner has just explained the details of the Commission’s thematic strategy on the sustainable use of pesticides. Clearly, the proposals amount to a statement of the actions the Commission intends to take in the near future. To this end, it will either introduce measures of its own or submit legislative proposals to Parliament and to the Council of Ministers of the European Union.
Essentially, this report seeks to respond to people’s concern about the possible negative effects of pesticides. They can affect human health, animal health and also the environment. I would stress that this is mainly the case when they are not used in a rational or legal manner
Nonetheless, the Commission’s proposal contains significant gaps. A great number of comments have therefore been made. The executive arm of the Community should take these into account when it comes to spelling out specific measures.
I would like to highlight what I believe to be the most relevant of the comments received. Firstly, the Commission’s proposal does not take account of the different problems encountered in using pesticides in different regions in Europe. The fact that the report does not differentiate between the regions of Europe will lead to false conclusions when the approach is applied in different areas.
Secondly, it is not clear whether the Commission considers that organic farming should be the future model for agriculture to be applied throughout the European Union. Ladies and gentlemen, we should de-mystify organic farming. I do not wish to remind anyone of the case of nitrophenol. Natural products and natural processes tend to be mistakenly equated to environmental protection. Petroleum, strychnine, hemlock and even anthrax are natural substances, but it is unacceptable to introduce these into the environment. Organic farming uses natural products but this does not mean it is the most desirable form of farming or the most desirable in every case.
There is no mention of Community policy on integrated production in the Commission’s proposal either. This is an important type of production that cannot be overlooked, especially as regards the use of plant protection products. The proposal does not take account of our ability to significantly reduce the use of pesticides through the use of genetically modified organisms. This would of course require fully transparent regulations to ensure there would be no negative repercussions.
Lastly, I would like to highlight another issue the Commission has failed to deal with. There is no reference to the approach to be followed in establishing appropriate indicators to measure the effectiveness of the different courses of action to ensure the objectives set out in the Commission’s document are met.
Ladies and gentlemen, all these provisions should also apply to the candidate countries and to all countries trading with the European Union."@en1
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