European energy producers and pesticide lobbying face EU policy scrutiny

European renewable energy producers are calling for long-term targets for the transport sector in the upcoming revision of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) beyond 2030. In a joint letter to the European Commission, thirteen organizations, including ePure and EBB, argued that maintaining fuel supplier obligations is essential to prevent a policy vacuum that might occur if the sector relies solely on emissions trading systems.

Separately, a report by the Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) alleges that pesticide industry lobbyists heavily influenced the European Union’s ‘Omnibus’ deregulation package. The NGO claims that proposals for the unlimited authorization of pesticides were priorities for manufacturers like Bayer and the agricultural lobby group Copa-Cogeca. The report suggests these industry demands were discussed within the European Commission’s DG SANTE and subsequently reflected in amendments by certain members of the European Parliament, including Herbert Dorfmann and Michele Picaro.

Internal documents from Croplife Europe also indicate efforts to promote the slogan ‘no ban without an alternative,’ a messaging strategy initiated by BASF and adopted by various agricultural and governmental entities.