Changing the rules is not the same as simplifying them.
Today’s Council position is a missed opportunity to deliver the meaningful simplification Europe’s regulatory system for plant protection urgently needs.
After months of negotiations, the compromise contains some positive elements, but it does not address the structural problems that make the system slow, complex and resource-intensive. Several of the most meaningful simplification measures have been narrowed, while significant concerns remain around data protection, mutual recognition and farmers’ access to a broad range of innovative solutions.
We are also concerned by the proposed changes to MRL rules, which risk using trade measures to pursue broader policy objectives, with potential consequences for supply chains, competitiveness and food security.
At a time when Europe is seeking to strengthen its competitiveness and resilience, we need a regulatory system that enables rather than delays innovation.
The trilogue negotiations will be critical. We hope that the discussions between co-legislators will restore the ambition of the original simplification agenda and deliver a regulatory system that is simpler, faster and more effective.