The Forbes article was obviously written by someone in the USA because he has no idea what the burning issues in Europe are. Once again we see Europe being treated as an entity whereas millions of people speaking different languages and having different cultures have very different priorities. For a large part of Europe the “hottest issue” is how to survive and where to find the food to put on the table tomorrow. Unemployment, the economy, fracking, GMOs, etc. would also probably come before neonicotinoids. 

Even the information about bee health seems to come from the USA, “the global number of bee colonies has actually remained stable over the past 15 years “ (unsubstantiated).  However, in Europe, according to EFSA (European Food Safety Agency), “Over 10 to 15 years, beekeepers have reported an unusual weakening of populations of bees and loss of honey bee colonies, especially in countries of Western Europe, including France, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Italy and Spain.” http://www.efsa.europa.eu/fr/topics/topic/beehealth.htm
He quotes the British Government’s reply to the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee but not the response of the committee’s chair Joan Walley MP,  "I am disappointed that the government has not accepted the great weight of scientific evidence that points to the need for the ban on these pesticides in line with the precautionary principle"
I could continue but to what end? This man evidently has an axe to grind and thinks that the situation in the USA is a model which can be applied anywhere.

Bil, France

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