On 20 May 2022, the EUobserver published an opinion piece on what still needs to be done to save the EU's bees. The opinion highlighted that one-third of the everyday foods we eat is pollinated by bees and other insects, which are increasingly under threat. And since a high proportion of the threatened bee species are native to Europe or the EU27, Europe has a particular duty to protect them. 

What Europe still needs to do to save its bees?

In this context, the European Commission and the European Research Executive Agency have been supporting pollinator health with the help of the Horizon 2020 and the new Horizon Europe funding programmes. In order to highlight the most relevant conservation efforts of the Horizon projects working on protecting biodiversity in line with the EU Green Deal objectives, the EUobserver summarised the work done by PoshBee and the B-GOOD project.

PoshBee is working on assessing the negative impacts of agrochemicals on honey bees, bumblebees, and solitary bees. The project aims to deliver practice- and policy-relevant research outputs, which support healthy bee populations, sustainable beekeeping, and sustainable pollination across Europe. 

The B-GOOD project aims to pave the way toward healthy and sustainable beekeeping within the EU. Its goal is to test and implement a common measuring and reporting honey bee health status index (HSI) in order to improve risk assessment. The project will also identify, analyse, and assess sustainable business models for European beekeeping.

The opinion closes with an important reminder to continue to protect the hard-working insects pollinating our everyday fruits and vegetables.

Read the full opinion piece here.