EU Rejects Emergency Pesticide Approvals for First Time

The European Union signaled it could get tougher with its member countries over authorizations for pesticide use.

The bloc’s executive, the European Commission, said Monday it rejected requests from Lithuania and Romania to allow emergency use of three neonicotinoid pesticides in 2020. It is the first time the commission has rejected emergency-use requests.

The pesticides—clothianidin, imidacloprid, and thiamethoxam—are seed-coating treatments banned from outdoor use in the EU because of fears over the harm they cause to bee colonies.

But the EU law on pesticides allows member countries to issue short-term authorizations for otherwise banned substances if their use is judged ...