Commissioner Hansen today presented the Commission's Fertilizer Action Plan to the European Parliament. The Plan aims to implement short-term actions to ensure affordability and security of supply. It is part of a broader medium- and long-term approach designed to support domestic production, promote more efficient and sustainable use of nutrients, and drive the transition to circular and low-carbon fertilizers. The Commission structures the Plan around three main objectives:
1. Availability and affordability of fertilizers for farmers.
2. Strengthening the EU's open strategic autonomy, including national production capacity, supply diversification and resilience.
3. Accelerating the transition towards decarbonized, low fossil fuel emissions and circular fertilizer production.
With regard to farmers, the actions include, among others, specific support through CAP crisis instruments and state aid tools, advance payments and new schemes that support fertilization efficiency and precision agriculture.
For fertilizer producers, it envisions a greater commitment to industrial resilience and proposes a dialogue with the industry.
The Commission is calling for greater transparency and competition oversight in the EU fertilizer market and believes it is necessary to improve nutrient efficiency and strengthen the circular economy in EU agriculture. This will include the adoption of nutrient management and monitoring systems on farms.
With regard to phosphate fertilizers, the Commission's assessment of Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 will include a review of the maximum limits for cadmium and will consider the feasibility of reducing them to a lower level.
To reduce dependence on traditional mineral fertilizers, the Commission will support research on the recovery of phosphorus and nitrogen from organic waste, including wastewater and sludge from industrial and urban sources, bio-waste, digestate, and other residues, and will assess the need to establish nutrient recycling targets. The Commission will develop measures to create leading markets for bio-based fertilizers.
