On 24 January 2023, the European Commission presented 'A New Deal for Pollinators' revising the 2018 EU Pollinators Initiative. This new deal comes in response to increasing calls to improve pollinator conservation and tackle the causes of their decline and its consequences on food security, human health, quality of life and ecosystems. 

The revised Pollinators Initiative sets objectives for 2030 and related actions under three priorities:

I: Improving knowledge of pollinator decline, its causes and consequences

II: Improving pollinator conservation and tackling the causes of their decline

III: Mobilising society and promoting strategic planning and cooperation at all levels

Priority I aims to address the remaining significant knowledge gaps by putting in place a robust EU-wide monitoring system for pollinators, undertaking critical assessments and spatial analyses, and promoting targeted research and innovation activities. Among the highlights of this priority are to:

• Establish a methodology for an EU pollinator monitoring scheme (EU-PoMS) by 2026

• Build a systematic collection of data on major threats to pollinators by 2026

• Continuously support research and innovation on the state of pollinators, the causes and the consequences of their decline, as well as effective mitigation measures

• Map Key Pollinator Areas in the EU, which should become the focus of conservation and restoration efforts by 2025

• Continuously facilitate knowledge sharing through the EU Pollinator Information Hive and the Biodiversity Information System for Europe (BISE)

Priority II is targeted at tackling the threats to wild pollinators and improving the existing knowledge base on pollinator threats and their impact. It points out the following actions:

• Continuously identify pollinators typical of habitats protected under the Habitats Directive

• Design and implement a network of ecological corridors for pollinators – "Buzz Lines" by 2027 and continuously implement it 

• Continuously increase support for pollinator-friendly farming under the common agricultural policy (CAP)

• Continuously implement the guide for pollinator-friendly cities

• Continuously identify the most vulnerable zones for pollinators in the context of climate change, and devise and implement targeted mitigation measures

Priority III’s objective is to promote strategic planning and cooperation at all levels. It will:

• Continuously raise public awareness about pollinator decline and engage the public in tackling it

• Continuously promote citizen science and facilitate public participation in the monitoring and conservation of pollinators

• Continuously promote key business sectors to protect pollinators

• Develop, in close collaboration with stakeholders and citizens, national pollinator strategies by 2025

• Continuously support the implementation of the Pollinators Initiative among local and regional authorities

PoshBee celebrates this new EU Pollinators Initiative which will contribute to the EU's progress towards protecting pollinators. It complements the EC’s proposal for a Nature Restoration Law, the Biodiversity Strategy 2030, the Farm to Fork Strategy and the European Green Deal.