Michele Picaro, an Italian MEP from the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, has called on the European Commission to overhaul the EU's Xylella fastidiosa regulation, arguing that current rules impose disproportionate costs on farmers and regions where the bacterium's impact is minimal. In a written parliamentary question submitted on 29 June 2026, Picaro pressed the Commission to tailor containment measures to individual subspecies and strains, and to introduce a flexible framework allowing national authorities to adopt proportionate strategies in coordination with Brussels.
Picaro's question highlights that the epidemiological picture of Xylella fastidiosa has evolved significantly since its first detection in Europe over a decade ago. He points to Italy, where the devastating subspecies pauca Sequence Type 53 has ravaged olive groves in Salento, while other variants cause negligible agricultural damage. Yet Regulation (EU) 2020/1201, he argues, enforces a one-size-fits-all approach that fails to differentiate between risk profiles. The MEP specifically asks whether the Commission will revise the regulation in light of new scientific findings, adopt measures tailored to individual subspecies and strains, and consider a more flexible model where national plant health authorities can coordinate with the Commission to implement strategies proportionate to the gravity of outbreaks, ensuring economic repercussions do not outweigh actual plant health risks.
The question comes as the Commission has tasked the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) with updating its risk assessment for Xylella fastidiosa by the end of 2026. Picaro's intervention signals growing pressure from affected member states to move away from blanket eradication measures toward a risk-based, regionally adapted approach. The Commission is expected to reply within approximately six weeks, and its answer will indicate whether it is open to revising the regulation or maintaining the current uniform framework.
Stakeholder impact
If the Commission adopts Picaro's proposed revisions, EU producers in low-risk areas—particularly Italian olive growers outside Salento—would benefit from reduced compliance costs and fewer mandatory removals of host plants. National plant health authorities would gain greater discretion to design outbreak responses, potentially lowering administrative burdens. However, EU producers in high-risk zones might face weaker containment if flexible rules are exploited, increasing the risk of spread. EU consumers could see stable olive oil prices if production costs fall, but a fragmented regulatory landscape may complicate cross-border trade and enforcement for EU regulatory bodies.