In June 2019, the Commission mandated a group of top pollinator experts to develop a proposal for a field-based monitoring scheme that will provide robust information on the status and trends of pollinator populations in EU countries, as per Action 1 of the EU Pollinators Initiative. The proposal was finalised and published in October 2020.
Proposal for an EU Pollinator Monitoring Scheme
The proposal provides a comprehensive methodology for monitoring as well as for a set of policy indicators, including a tailored indicator for the EU Common Agricultural Policy. Experts from national environmental and agricultural authorities were closely involved in this process.
The Commission continues working with national authorities on fine-tuning and operationalisation of the proposal and capacity building for the implementation of the scheme on the ground. In June 2021, the Commission launched the SPRING project (Strengthening pollinator recovery through indicators and monitoring). With the budget of EUR 5 million, the project will strengthen taxonomic capacity with regard to pollinating insects, support preparation for the implementation of the EU Pollinator Monitoring Scheme and pilot the scheme in all 27 EU countries.