{"id":120206,"date":"2026-05-19T17:35:26","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T15:35:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eeb.org\/?p=120206"},"modified":"2026-05-19T17:35:26","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T15:35:26","slug":"eu-fertiliser-action-plan-clings-onto-fossil-fuel-addiction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eeb.org\/es\/eu-fertiliser-action-plan-clings-onto-fossil-fuel-addiction\/","title":{"rendered":"EU Fertiliser Action Plan clings onto fossil fuel addiction"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brussels, 19 May 2026<\/strong> \u2013\u00a0The European Commission today unveiled its\u00a0Fertiliser\u00a0Action Plan in response to\u00a0rising\u00a0fertiliser\u00a0prices. However,\u00a0the European Environmental Bureau\u00a0(EEB)\u00a0warns\u00a0that the plan\u00a0fails\u00a0to\u00a0address the root causes\u00a0of the current crisis,\u00a0ignoring vital lessons from the past.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The crisis follows renewed geopolitical tensions after US-Israel attacks on Iran, which have triggered global trade and supply chain\u00a0shocks\u00a0and exposed\u00a0once again\u00a0the fragility of industrial\u00a0agriculture\u2019s dependence on volatile and expensive fossil gas inputs. Europe\u00a0now\u00a0faces conditions\u00a0similar to\u00a0those after the Russian invasion of Ukraine,\u00a0when\u00a0fertiliser and energy prices surged.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Fighting fire with fire<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Although\u00a0the\u00a0Commission\u2019s\u00a0plan\u00a0mentions\u00a0some\u00a0needed\u00a0solutions,\u00a0such\u00a0as\u00a0improving\u00a0nutrient\u00a0management or\u00a0promoting\u00a0organic\u00a0farming,\u00a0the\u00a0language\u00a0is\u00a0vague and non-committal.\u00a0It\u00a0also\u00a0overlooks\u00a0the structural nature of the\u00a0problem:\u00a0Europe\u2019s\u00a0addiction to\u00a0fossil\u00a0gas\u00a0fertilisers\u00a0is\u00a0a major driver of water,\u00a0soil\u00a0and air pollution,\u00a0climate\u00a0emissions\u00a0and public\u00a0health\u00a0risks,\u00a0including\u00a0nitrate contamination of\u00a0drinking\u00a0water, and locks\u00a0farmers\u00a0into\u00a0a volatile global market.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Disappointingly, the\u00a0Plan\u00a0focuses on a need\u00a0to boost fertiliser production. This\u00a0ignores a\u00a0plain reality: Europe already has more nitrogen than its land can safely absorb\u00a0\u2013\u00a0a problem fuelling\u00a0not only\u00a0eutrophication and\u00a0dead zones\u00a0in Europe’s\u00a0rivers,\u00a0lakes\u00a0and coasts,\u00a0but also dangerous ammonia emissions.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On the economic side,\u00a0a recent\u00a0<\/span>UNECE\u00a0paper<\/span><\/a>\u00a0shows\u00a0Europe is wasting \u20ac20-60\u00a0billion\u00a0of nitrogen resources\u00a0per year.\u00a0The environmental and health costs\u00a0are even greater, with\u00a0the Commission itself acknowledging\u00a0<\/span>these costs<\/span><\/a>\u00a0to be\u00a0\u20ac70\u2013320 billion\u00a0annually.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What needs to happen<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Reducing fertiliser pollution means\u00a0bringing\u00a0farm\u00a0animal\u00a0numbers to controlled levels\u00a0that\u00a0land and water systems can sustainably support,\u00a0alongside\u00a0a shift toward healthier, more plant-based diets.\u00a0The EU has committed to halving nutrient losses by\u00a02030, and the Commission\u2019s own\u00a0Joint Research Centre\u00a0shows\u00a0that this\u00a0will require\u00a0both\u00a0an agroecological and dietary transition.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Instead of producing more synthetic fertilisers, the EU should focus on reducing\u00a0inputs\u00a0and recovering existing nutrients.\u00a0This, together with\u00a0implementation of the\u00a0Polluter Pays Principle,\u00a0would\u00a0reduce\u00a0pollution and\u00a0build the foundation of a\u00a0food system less\u00a0dependent\u00a0on\u00a0volatile fossil fuel-based inputs.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

True strategic autonomy means\u00a0protecting public health, water and ecosystems while supporting farmers through more resilient farming systems,\u00a0not reinforcing an expensive and polluting model that locks\u00a0Europe deeper into\u00a0fossil fuel\u00a0dependency.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Faustine Bas-Defossez, Director for Nature, Health and Environment, EEB, said:\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This Action Plan is dangerously disconnected from reality. Europe cannot solve a fossil fuel-driven fertiliser crisis by doubling down on the very system causing the problem.\u00a0<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

By\u00a0failing to commit\u00a0to implementing the solutions it acknowledges, the\u00a0Commission\u00a0is\u00a0ignoring\u00a0the\u00a0mounting\u00a0costs\u00a0of\u00a0nitrogen\u00a0pollution,\u00a0climate\u00a0damage, and public\u00a0health\u00a0impacts\u00a0while\u00a0doing\u00a0nothing\u00a0to support\u00a0farmers\u00a0trapped\u00a0in a cycle of\u00a0fossil\u00a0fuel\u00a0dependency\u00a0and\u00a0price\u00a0volatility<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The EEB also\u00a0warns against attempts to weaken\u00a0climate policy such as the ETS or CBAM.\u00a0The EEB also deplores the\u00a0Commission’s plans to weaken environmental protections\u00a0by allowing digested manure above the current limits in the Nitrates Directive.\u00a0These instruments should be strengthened and enforced because they can drive the transition, weakening them only\u00a0supports business-as-usual\u00a0with continued pollution and degradation.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sara Johansson, Senior Policy Officer for Water, EEB, said:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Using this crisis as a pretext to further weaken the Nitrates Directive is reckless. More manure on fields already saturated with nitrogen means more polluted rivers, more contaminated drinking water, and higher health and water treatment costs for citizens.\u00a0<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Europe needs solutions that cut pollution at the source by keeping farmed animal numbers in balance with what local land and water systems can safely absorb – not false solutions that make the problem worse.<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

ENDS.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Notes to editor:\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n