After numerous reviews, the European Parliament, the Council of the EU and the European Commission reached an agreement on the Law for the Restoration of Nature, an instrument that its promoters defend as key to the conservation of biodiversity in the community bloc. The text seeks the execution of concrete actions by the 27 member countries that guarantee the restoration of damaged habitats, almost in their entirety by 2050.
First modification:
2 min
On November 9, the European Parliament and negotiators from the Member States reached an agreement on the legislative text for Nature Restoration, after nine hours of negotiations, which in turn were part of a process of discussions lasting several months.
The most important achievement of the legislation is the requirement for member countries to progressively restore damaged habitats. It is planned that at least 30% of these habitats will be restored by 2030, 60% by 2040 and 90% by 2050.
With conditions of natural spaces “bad or mediocre” in around 80% of the total territory of the countries that make up the EU, the legislative project represents “a historic result,” according to Pascal Canfin, head of the European Commission on the Environment.
The legislative project, which was proposed by the European Commission in 2022, is part of the European Green Deal and seeks to make possible compliance with the agreements on biodiversity reached at the United Nations COP15.
The European Green Deal constitutes the great ecological ambition of the EU, since through it it seeks to become a reference in the fight against climate change.
Despite recognizing the importance of the agreement reached last Thursday, environmental groups and NGOs regretted that “the final text has considerably diluted the ambition of the Commission’s original proposal.” And they also pointed out the existence of “gaps” in the bill, among these voices, that of the European Chamber’s own chief negotiator, César Luena.
Yesterday we reached an agreement with the @eu2023es 🇪🇸🇪🇺 about the Nature Restoration Law.
It is the first step for the #EU have its first biodiversity law.
It would not have been possible without the total commitment of @TheProgressives 🌹🇪🇺.
Here my statements 👇 pic.twitter.com/8P57Mg8pGq
— César Luena / ❤️🇪🇺 (@cesarluena) November 10, 2023
The right, the main opponent of the initiative
After first proposing the bill in 2022, the European People’s Party (EPP) balked at the legislation. At the beginning of 2023 the EPP tried to abandon the legislative project. During the negotiations, some countries expressed concern about the increase in environmental laws with effects on the industry.
The EPP and other center-right groups have stated that their opposition to the regulatory project is due to the fact that they consider that it threatens European food security by having direct negative effects on agriculture, such as the rise in fuel prices. A position supported by COPA-COGECA, the main agricultural group in the EU.
The Popular Party highlighted as “notable improvements” as a result of the heated discussions for its approval, the elimination of a section that required the renaturalization of at least 10% of agricultural land. This has brought criticism to the EPP, coming from its center-left counterparts, who accuse it of using political deliberation on the project to gain electoral ground with a view to the 2024 European votes.
The agricultural issue was not the only obstacle that the European Union Nature Restoration Law project encountered. The fishing sector, Europêche, has called on the European Council and Parliament not to formally validate the agreement reached.
With EFE, Reuters and AP
#Nature #Restoration #Law #finally #sees #light #European #Union