OMNIBUS EU: Pesticide regulation at a crossroads

Semplificare la regolamentazione dei pesticidi senza sacrificare la tutela ambientale: cosa c'è in gioco per gli impollinatori e la biodiversità?

The European Union has long been regarded as having one of the world's most comprehensive systems for evaluating the risks of pesticides to human health and the environment. Yet concerns remain about the impacts of pesticides on biodiversity, pollinators, and ecosystems. At the same time, regulatory procedures are often criticized for being slow and administratively burdensome.

In this context, the European Commission has proposed a new "Omnibus Simplification Package" aimed at streamlining the authorization process for plant protection products. While simplifying procedures may appear attractive, a new Policy Forum article published in Science argues that some of the proposed changes could weaken environmental safeguards and increase risks for biodiversity.

BeeLab's Prof. Simone Tosi contributed to this international analysis, lead by Dimitry Wintermantel and Julia Osterman, together with experts from 20 institutions across Europe.

Bumble bee (Bombus terrestris). Photo by Maj Rundlof

Why does this matter?

Pesticides are designed to control harmful organisms, but they can also affect many non-target species, including humans. Pollinators, including honey bees, bumble bees, and wild bees, are among the organisms that may be exposed to pesticides through pollen, nectar, water, and contaminated habitats.

Over the past decades, scientific research has revealed that pesticide impacts can extend beyond immediate mortality. Sublethal effects on behaviour, reproduction, immunity, navigation, and development may influence the long-term health of pollinator populations and ecosystems.

Environmental risk assessment is therefore a critical tool for identifying potential risks before products reach the market.

What would change under the Omnibus proposal?

The proposed reform seeks to reduce administrative burdens and accelerate regulatory processes. However, the authors highlight several aspects that deserve careful consideration.

One of the most significant proposed changes would allow many pesticide active substances to remain approved indefinitely, replacing the current system of periodic renewals. The researchers argue that regular reassessments play an important role in incorporating new scientific evidence and identifying previously overlooked risks.

The proposal would also expand circumstances under which products could remain on the market even after bans and would reduce some documentation requirements for certain biocontrol products.

According to the authors, these measures may reduce regulatory workload in the short term but could also limit integration of emerging scientific knowledge into regulatory decisions.

Existing challenges remain unresolved

The article emphasizes that current risk assessment procedures already have important limitations.

Many groups of organisms, including wild pollinators, amphibians, reptiles, bats, and numerous wild pollinators, are not fully represented in regulatory testing. In addition, the combined effects of multiple pesticides applied in agricultural landscapes are generally not assessed, despite growing evidence that mixtures can produce additive or synergistic effects.

Researchers also note that some higher-tier studies may lack sufficient statistical power to reliably detect ecologically relevant impacts.

Rather than addressing these challenges, the authors argue that the proposed reforms risk making it more difficult to identify environmental problems before they become widespread.

A different path toward simplification

The authors stress that reducing bureaucracy and maintaining strong environmental protection are not mutually exclusive goals.

Their proposed alternative focuses on improving the efficiency and scientific robustness of the regulatory system. Key recommendations include:

• increasing transparency by making regulatory studies openly accessible;

• improving the representation of vulnerable species in risk assessments;

• strengthening the integration of independent scientific research;

• establishing systematic monitoring of pesticide use, environmental contamination, and ecological impacts;

• creating stronger links between research, real-world monitoring and future regulatory decisions.

Such measures could help regulators identify potential problems earlier while also improving public trust in the decision-making process.

Why pollinators are part of the discussion

Pollinators contribute to both biodiversity and food production. Because they interact directly with agricultural landscapes, they can also serve as important indicators of environmental health.

For this reason, improving our understanding of how pesticides affect pollinators remains a major scientific and regulatory challenge. Advances in monitoring, modelling, and risk assessment are providing new opportunities to evaluate not only direct toxicity but also longer-term and landscape-level effects.

As scientific knowledge evolves, regulatory systems must be able to evolve as well.

Science, innovation, and environmental protection

The debate surrounding the Omnibus proposal is not simply about regulation. It is also about how societies use scientific evidence to balance agricultural productivity, innovation, environmental sustainability, and public health.

As highlighted by Prof. Simone Tosi, effective simplification should not come at the expense of scientific rigor. Robust risk assessment frameworks can support innovation by encouraging the development of safer and more sustainable solutions while helping to prevent environmental damage before it occurs.

The challenge is therefore not whether regulation should become more efficient, but how to achieve greater efficiency without weakening the safeguards that protect biodiversity, pollinators, ecosystems, and human well-being.

Learn more

Read the Policy Forum article published in Science and watch the related national TV interview featuring Prof. Simone Tosi discussing the implications of the proposed EU reforms for pollinators, biodiversity, and environmental protection.

Science article: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aeg8744

RAI 3, TG Leonardo: https://www.rainews.it/tgr/rubriche/leonardo/video/2026/06/TGR-Leonardo-del-19062026-9e0b09bb-6476-4fbc-95b7-7db6bf4e3e26.html

[OMNIBUS EU, "Discussing Pesticides", min 5]