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Statistics on pesticides

2006/0258(COD)

The co-chairs of the Conciliation Committee formally approved the finalised joint text for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning statistics on pesticides, and forwarded it to Parliament and the Council. The proposed regulation is part of a legislative package on pesticides (agreement between Parliament and Council was reached on two other proposals in January 2009).

The background to this conciliation dossier is as follows: informal negotiations between the Parliament and the Council before the second reading in Parliament had led to an agreement supported by the overwhelming majority of the political groups. The agreement consisted of a set of 40 amendments, which mainly focused on:

  • replacing the term 'plant protection products' with the term 'pesticides', which is also the definition included in the Directive on sustainable use, in order to ensure clarity and consistency of the whole legislative package;
  • including the concept of 'biocidal products', with the possibility in the future to extend the scope of the regulation on pesticide statistics to cover the use of relevant 'biocides', in accordance with the results of an impact study;
  • better information and greater transparency concerning pesticides by publishing the relevant data on the Internet;
  • including a clear reference to the general legislative framework on statistics concerning the way statistics should be used (including the requirement of confidentiality);
  • comitology: introduction of the regulatory procedure with scrutiny concerning the requirements of the quality reports on data collection by the Member States.

However, due to a very low attendance of the plenary on the day of the second reading vote (24 April 2009), the negotiated set of amendments - though supported by the overwhelming majority of the Members present - did not obtain the necessary majority of all Members of the European Parliament, except for one single amendment.

By letter of 8 July 2009 the rapporteur and the chairs of the EPP, S&D, ALDE, Greens/EFA and GUE groups reiterated their support for the provisional agreement reached at second reading and invited the Council to reflect on ways to reconfirm this agreement.

After a round of informal contacts the Council finally agreed to reject the single amendment adopted and consequently to go to conciliation in order to provide a second chance for the adoption of the set of amendments agreed.

At the Coreper meeting on 14 October 2009 the Council confirmed its support for the draft joint text consisting of the common position modified in line with the set of amendments agreed at the informal negotiations in second reading.

The European Parliament delegation to the Conciliation Committee, chaired by Rodi KRATSA-TSAGAROPOULOU (EPP, EL), reiterated its support for the provisional agreement reached at second reading and  confirmed the draft joint text by unanimity on 23 October 2009, with 24 votes to 0 and no abstentions. .

Given the successful conclusion of the conciliation process, the aim of which was not to restart negotiations on the substance but simply to provide a second chance for the adoption of the agreement reached at second reading, the Parliament delegation to the Conciliation Committee tabled a report recommending that the joint text be approved at third reading.