Nature Restoration Law on knife edge as
centre-right EPP walks out on talks
By Kira
Taylor | EURACTIV.com
31 May 2023 (updated: 10:45)
"The
law was poorly drafted in the first place and is an attack on European
agriculture, forestry and fisheries," said the EPP lawmaker in charge of
negotiating the file, Christine Schneider. [Alexis Haulot / European Union 2023
- Source : EP]
The EU’s
flagship Nature Restoration Law has suffered another blow as the largest group
in the European Parliament, the European People’s Party, walked out of
negotiations on Wednesday (31 May) ahead of a crucial vote in the environment
committee.
The law,
proposed in June 2022, aims to reverse the drastic decline of Europe’s nature,
where 81% of habitats are in a bad state and 1,677 European species are
threatened with extinction.
However, it
has seen a major pushback from the European Parliament, particularly the
European People’s Party (EPP), with the agriculture (AGRI) and fisheries (PECH)
committees already voting to reject it.
Now the EPP
has walked out of talks between groups in the environment committee (ENVI),
which has the power to block it. The walkout itself will not have a tangible
impact, but is a clear signal the group wants to reject the proposal.
“If the
Commission is serious about nature restoration, it should come up with a new
proposal as soon as possible,” said Christine Schneider, who was leading
negotiations for the group.
“The
European Commission cannot expect the EPP to simply accept the proposal without
a comprehensive impact assessment on food security, reduced farmland and the
renewable energy roll-out. This is not negotiable,” she added.
EU agri
MEPs reject nature restoration law, losing 'voice' in the process
EU
agriculture lawmakers have approved their opinion on the EU’s nature
restoration law which rejects the whole proposal, effectively leaving the
agriculture committee ‘without a voice’ in the final draft.
Speaking to
EURACTIV before the walkout, Schneider said she supports conservation and the
restoration of ecosystems, but disagreed with the Commission’s approach.
She added
that elements of the proposal made no sense, including restoring ecosystems to
their historical status rather than a future-orientated approach, and said food
security and affordability needed to be a priority over rewilding.
However,
while the European Commission is happy to discuss the details of the proposal
and find solutions, it will not redraft it.
“There is
no such thing as rejecting this proposal and hoping the Commission will come
with another one. The Commission will not come with another proposal. Let that
be crystal clear,” EU climate chief Frans Timmermans told the European
Parliament’s agriculture committee.
The
European Commission is still unmoving on this, with an official telling
EURACTIV: “If they choose to cosy up with the science deniers and the extreme
right, so be it.”
Over 150
scientists have also come out in support of the proposal, arguing that
restoration improves food security and does not preclude economic activity,
with benefits far exceeding the costs.
“If the EU
is to restore the health, productivity and resilience of its lands and seas,
and have nature continue supporting European food security, employment, climate
change mitigation, and the economy, it must approve and implement its Nature
Restoration Law,” the statement reads.
EPP not
enough to derail vote
By
themselves, the EPP are not large enough to overthrow the law and the lead
lawmakers in other groups, including Renew Europe, The Left and the Greens, all
indicated to EURACTIV that they support it.
The lead
negotiator for Renew Europe told EURACTIV the law is “absolutely necessary to
combat climate change”.
She added
that negotiators have worked hard to increase flexibility in the law, improve
public participation and include ways for EU countries to leverage finance for
restoration efforts.
Meanwhile,
Green negotiator Jutta Paulus told EURACTIV that, while the proposal sometimes
lacks ambition, it is a good starting point and “reflects the urgently needed
measures to stop ecosystem degradation and mass species extinction”.
She has
accused the EPP of electioneering, with the next European Parliament elections
set for 2024.
“The
survival of species, including our own, must not be traded for short-sighted
political campaigning,” she told EURACTIV before the walkout.
“Though
some election-driven party politicians are loudly calling for its rejection,
the urgency for action is widely accepted among political groups. I expect my
colleagues from all political groups to continue negotiations based on
scientific and technical grounds to find a compromise in the interest of all
Europeans,” she added.
The law has
also seen scepticism from EU countries, including Irish leader Leo Varadkar
saying it goes too far on certain aspects. However, diplomatic sources have
told EURACTIV that EU countries want to push ahead and find a deal ahead of
their meeting in Luxembourg at the end of June.
[Edited by Nathalie Weatherald]
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