Open call for new scientific information as regards the risk to bees from the use of the three neonicotinoid pesticide active substances clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam applied as seed treatments and granules in the EU

The European Commission has requested the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to organise an open call for data in order to collect new scientific information as regards the risk to bees from the neonicotinoid pesticide active substances clothianidin, thiamethoxam and imidacloprid applied as seed treatments and granules in the EU in accordance with Article 21 of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 and in the context of Article 31 of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002. In response to that request, EFSA launched an open call for data. The purpose was to gather documented information (new, published or unpublished) relevant to the above mentioned evaluation. The call was open from 25 May 2015 to 30 September 2015. Governmental bodies, non-governmental organisations, producer associations, private companies, universities, research institutions, and few individuals have submitted information in response to this call. A total of 376 contributions were received from 48 different sources. As a second step, upon receipt of a follow up mandate from the European Commission, EFSA will undertake a review of the data resulted from the open call and will provide conclusions concerning an updated risk assessment for bees.