18 May 2018 --- An EU court has backed a partial ban on neonicotinoids saying that the European Commission was correct five years ago when it restricted their use in a bid to protect bee populations. The General Court of the European Union confirmed on Thursday the validity of the restrictions introduced at EU level in 2013 against the insecticides clothianidin, thiamethoxam and imidacloprid because of the risks those substances pose to bees.