EFSA is working to protect bees and shape the future of environmental risk assessment

Europe is pursuing its ambition for a climate-neutral, sustainable future. The European Commission’s Green Deal, an important step in this direction, has at its heart the protection of the European Union (EU)’s biodiversity and the resilience of its ecosystems. Reducing the use and risk of pesticides and reversing the decline of pollinators are but two of the ‘calls-to-action’ embedded, respectively, in the Green Deal’s Farm to Fork and Biodiversity Strategies. Much of the science supporting policymakers on these highly complex bodies of work falls within the remit of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). EFSA scientists are working to help address these challenges, as reflected in the release in 2021 of two important scientific reports. The first report addresses a mandate from the European Commission for a review of the 2013 bee guidance document on the risk assessment of pesticides in relation to honey bees, bumble bees and solitary bees; the second responds to the European Parliament’s request for a scientific opinion on the development of an integrated and holistic approach for the environmental risk assessment (ERA) of multiple stressors in managed honey bees (Apis mellifera) – known as the MUST-B project.