Caretaker PM Says Bulgaria will Back Bee-Harming Pesticides Ban
Bulgaria will vote in favour of an EU ban on neonicotinoid pesticides, caretaker prime minister Marin Raykov said following a meeting with local beekeepers.
Raykov pledged that the country will support a ban on three neonicotinoids during a vote in the Council of Europe on April 29, the government's press office said.
In March, the European Commission proposed new regulations limiting the conditions of approval and use of the active substances - clothianidin, thiamethoxam, imidacloprid, which were found to endanger bee population. It also proposed a ban on the sale of seeds treated with plant protection products containing these active substances.
At a meeting of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health in Brussels on March 13 and 14, this draft regulation was rejected as nine member states were against. The proposal will be discussed again at the Appeal Committee.