It will likely be up to Ireland, the incoming Council Presidency, to find a compromise
The compromise on new rules on pesticides, tabled by Cyprus, failed to gain the endorsement of the EU ambassadors on Friday.
The package, unveiled by the Commission in December, includes measures to speed up the uptake of biological pesticides by farmers, and grant synthetic pesticides substances with unlimited approvals. It also includes a crackdown on residues of EU-banned chemicals in imported food.
After weeks of technical negotiations, Cyprus, which is holding the rotating presidency of the Council, believed it had reached a balanced final compromise draft. Still, it failed to reach the majority needed to start negotiations with the Parliament.
A dozen of countries, including Germany, Italy and Spain, did not endorse the text, two diplomats told Euractiv.
