The conference, ”A New Spring for the Bees”, held in Brussels on 2 April, was organized as part of the 3rd European Week of Bees and Pollinators by the sustainable development Intergroup of the European Parliament. It was supported by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. The purpose of the conference was to assess the current state of bee health and present concrete ways to coordinate action at EU level to support the beekeeping sector.

Addressing the 150 participants in a video message, UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said that pollination services and biodiversity were crucial to ensuring a transition to a green economy.

The European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Dacian Cioloș, said that 30% of the budget allocation for direct payments and rural development under the reformed Common Agricultural Policy would go towards promoting sustainable agricultural practices. And in the next three years, the EU would be allocating over €100 million to Europe’s beekeeping programmes.

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