2023-07-12 13:59:00
Green light for “Nature Restoration”. This Wednesday, July 12, MEPs voted on the fate of the law “ nature restoration “, law aimed at repairing and protecting ecosystems. The European left being for, the right against and the center divided, the vote was expected to be close. MEPs voted in favor of the project during a plenary session. This position received 336 votes for, 300 against and 13 abstentions. The text, proposed by the European Commission in mid-2022, aims to halt the decline of biodiversity and better counter climate change by requiring the repair of damaged ecosystems. MEPs will now have to negotiate the content with the Member States.
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“The European Parliament has voted in favor of legally binding targets aimed at restoring degraded natural areas”, welcomed Greenpeace, welcoming “the first piece of legislation in 30 years to protect biodiversity in the EU”.
Repair ecosystems and halt degradation
The Nature Restoration Act is part of the European Green Deal, a set of policy initiatives proposed by the European Commission aimed at setting the EU on the path to ecological transition. The objective of this pact is to make Europe climate neutral by 2050. According to Brussels, more than 80% of natural habitats in the EU are in a state of conservation “ bad or mediocre (especially peatlands, dunes and grasslands), and up to 70% of soils are in poor health.
Broadly, the law nature restoration plans to introduce restoration measures on 20% of land and marine areas at EU level by 2030, then by 2050 on all areas that require it. Several types of habitats are concerned, for which each State would be required to adopt restoration measures by 2030 on at least 30% of damaged habitats, then on 60% by 2040. In addition, Parliament wanted to impose an objective of non-deterioration (maintenance in good condition) over large areas.
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A text ” emptied of its substance »
Following Parliament’s vote, the text’s rapporteur, Spanish MEP César Luena (S&D, left) hailed a ” collective victory » et “good news for nature, Member States and the EU itself”. However, the ambition of the text has been revised downwards. Green MEP Caroline Roose acknowledged a ” bitter-tasting victory “and lamented” obstruction from the right “resulting in the adoption of a version” heavily watered down ».
The Parliament’s position is close to that adopted on June 20 by the Member States, which offered more flexibility than the initial proposal from Brussels, whose objectives were considered too restrictive. Many relaxations had been made on the obligations specific to each type of ecosystem (green spaces in the city, rehumidification of peat bogs, forests, elements with high biodiversity on agricultural land, etc.), and the States had added a derogation for the installation of renewable energy or defense infrastructure projects.
The right, headwind against the project
This vote is a failure for the deputies of the EPP (European People’s Party), the first force in the hemicycle, who had tabled a motion of rejection. The concern of the deputies of this right-wing party concerns the impact on agriculture, fishing or renewable energies. In particular, it calls into question the objective of ” high diversity topographic features (hedges, ditches, wetlands, etc.) on 10% of agricultural land by 2030.
“Restoring nature should not sign the death warrant of all economic, industrial, forestry and agricultural production in Europe”, declared the French elected representative Anne Sander (EPP), rapporteur for the text in the Agriculture Committee. Brussels “believes that purely and simply freezing 10% of our agricultural land does not represent a danger to our food security”, she believes. “We may reduce our emissions, but we will have to import our food from all over the world, where production standards are far from ours”.
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Demonstrations outside Parliament
This Tuesday, on the eve of the vote, more than 300 people gathered in front of Parliament. Two camps faced each other: activists and opponents of the project. On the side of the opponents, the rally was organized by the Committee of Professional Agricultural Organizations (COPA). 200 farmers made the trip with a few tractors to express their disagreement with the law.
According to them, this text will cause a loss of agricultural land. There is ” already surfaces that are returned to nature and farmers have already registered “lots of losses” with the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), confides to AFP Florian Lossel, operator near Strasbourg. “ After a while (…), it is no longer possible ».
“Yes, to the restoration of nature, no to the law on the restoration of nature”, proclaim the farmers, led by Christiane Lambert, former leader of the majority French agricultural union, the FNSEA.
Among the hundred climate activists was Greta Thunberg. The Swedish activist came to Strasbourg to encourage MEPs to “ vote the strongest possible nature restoration law”. “To mitigate climate crisis and biodiversity loss, we need to restore more nature. Science has proven it “, she declared, hoping for a vote “the plus large possible in favor of the text.
Project financing
Around €100 billion of the European multiannual budget will be available for biodiversity, including restoration plans. According to the Parliament, each euro invested would yield between 8 and 38 euros, through the benefits of healthy ecosystems (human health, pollination and soil quality, less flooding, climate mitigation by capturing CO2, preserved fish populations.. .).
(With AFP)
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