After intense protests in recent weeks by farmers in France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and elsewhere, Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, announced at a press conference on the day of the EU summit in Brussels, Belgium, on February 1, 2024: It plans to withdraw an EU-wide proposal to halve pesticide use by 2030 (the "proposal"), arguing that it is "fatally wounded" and threatens the survival of many farmers.

"The farmers' voices deserve to be heard," von der Leyen told the European Parliament. "They are protesting against rising costs, the tax burden and the extreme pressure that EU measures to combat climate change are putting on their very existence."

The so-called Sustainable Use Regulation (SUR), which was first proposed in June 2022 under the EU's official farm-to-fork food policy strategic plan, has an ambitious goal of halving the use of pesticides by 2030. The European Commission had expected the regulation to become a binding, EU-wide target. Nevertheless, SUR has caused no small division from the start and has been the subject of intense lobbying by the agricultural sector. The bill was rejected by the European Parliament in November by 299 votes to 207, with 121 abstentions, and is now Mired in political negotiations among member states, indicating very little will to push it across the finish line.

"The SUR proposal has become a symbol of polarization, it has been rejected by the European Parliament and there is no progress in the Council, which is why I propose to withdraw this proposal," von der Leyen said. However, she also believes that the agricultural industry needs to transition to a "more sustainable production model."

Von der Leyen's proposal to withdraw the proposal will not take place immediately and still needs to be approved by the European Commission, which is expected to be completed in the coming weeks. Von der Leyen stressed that the issue of pesticide regulation would remain on the agenda and could be influenced by "new proposals that are more mature." However, due to the upcoming European Parliament elections, matters related to the new proposal will be taken up by the next commission.