On 27 March 2003, the European Parliament voted on the Van Brempt report on the Commission’s Communication ’Towards a thematic strategy on the sustainable use of pesticides’.
But at the Plenary, MEPs failed to adopt requests of the Environment Committee, which were also NGO/EPHA demands, for an overall and indicative target for Member States of a 50% reduction of the treatment frequency in 10 years and an EU regulatory framework for taxes and/or levies on pesticides are concerned. MEPs also recognised, by a very small majority, the potential of GMO crops for reducing pesticides use.
