Neonicotinoids: First environmental mirror measure
A first mirror measure concerning two neonicotinoids banned in the EU was adopted in 2023 for environmental reasons.
In February 2023, a regulation prohibiting the importation of products containing traces of two of the four banned molecules from the neonicotinoid family, thiamethoxam and clothianidin, was adopted. The EU thus lowers the maximum residue limits (MRLs) to the detection threshold for these two substances as of March 7, 2026. In other words, if these molecules are detected in a product, it would be automatically excluded from the European market.
For the first time, the EC relies on environmental factors, rather than just health criteria, to justify such a ban.
For a more comprehensive analysis of this regulation, see the report from the Veblen Institute, EEB, and FNH, from June 2023.
