After a two-year absence, the European Bee and Pollination Week, otherwise known as “Bee Week”, was expanded in 2021 to include all pollinators in the first EU Pollinator Week.

The event, focusing on the importance of pollinators for healthy ecosystems, our wellbeing and culture, was held online on 27-30 September on the theme A New Deal for Pollinators. More than 1,100 participants and 56 speakers attended a number of debates and workshops which received strong high-level political support. In conferences and workshops held during the week, participants discussed ideas and exchanged proposals to promote public policies and stakeholder actions that protect healthy populations of wild and managed pollinators, and the invaluable benefits they provide to society. The conclusions of the four days of events focused on identifying measures for the protection, restoration and monitoring of pollinator populations and their stressors. Stakeholders participating in EU Pollinator Week broadly agreed that pollinators remain unprotected from the impacts of chemicals despite the provisions in EU legislation, that the situation should be improved urgently and the precautionary principle applied. The beekeeping sector described how seriously impacted they are by climate change and the lack of floral resources. The EU Pollinator Week included several sessions gathering initiatives devoted to research, citizens engagement and awareness raising.

EU Pollinator Week was organised by Members of the European Parliament under the chairmanship of Martin Hojsík and BeeLife European Beekeeping Coordination, in partnership with the European Commission, the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). 

Videos, presentations, reports and pledges for pollinators of Members of the European Parliament can be found on the Pollinator Week website.