Launched in October 2012 and brought to an end at the end of 2014, the Bee Plan is the federal response to the alarming decline of domestic and wild bees. This decline puts pollination at risk, with potential consequences not only for the economy but also for our food security. In 2015, it is clear that the different priorities for action are still relevant.
The Bee Plan reflects the Belgian federal level approach to the global issue of the disappearance of bees and proposes measures to respond to it, at that level and with stakeholders.
The implementation of the different actions was organised around six priority thematic areas and two cross-cutting support areas:
Priority thematic areas
• Improving the health of bees
• Reorienting the market in favour of biodiversity and pollinators in particular
• Empowering beekeepers and promoting beehive products
• Strengthening the monitoring of bees
• Identifying and monitoring the risks to bees
• Integrating pollination into federal, European and other policies, plans and programmes
Cross-cutting support areas:
• Ensuring federal governance and the national consistency of the Bee Plan
• Ensuring communication about the Bee Plan
This plan laid the foundations of new governance in the management of this issue and established essential priorities for action to tackle a phenomenon that still exists. Indeed, despite progress both in the areas of science and public policy, the bee situation remains a cause for concern.
The assessment of the plan doesn’t just take stock of the measures taken under the plan, it also offers an overview of new scientific data and of the measures taken by other levels of government.