On Friday night, the European Parliament and Member States managed to reach an agreement on the much-discussed law to save nature. In the future there should be more forests and moors again.
For nature to recover in the EU, more forests must be reforested, moors must be rewetted and rivers must be restored to their natural state. Negotiators from the European Parliament and EU states reached agreement on a hotly debated nature conservation project on Friday night. The background to the law is that, according to EU information, around 80 percent of habitats in the European Union are in poor condition.
Additionally, ten percent of bee and butterfly species are threatened with extinction and 70 percent of the soil is in unsanitary conditions. EU states have stated that the number of wild pollinating insects in Europe has declined drastically in recent decades. To counter this, the regulation stipulates that Member States must take action to reverse the decline by 2030 at the latest.
Concern that requirements for farmers are too stringent
The law was preceded by a fierce dispute, among other things because strict requirements for farmers were feared. The Christian Democrats, in particular, were against the project and tried to suspend it completely. However, a motion to reject the law failed to gain a majority in parliament in the summer.
With the compromise now negotiated, farmers will not be obliged to make a certain percentage of their land available for environmentally friendly measures, which farmers feared. The compromise reached has yet to be formally approved by EU states and the European Parliament. Normally this is a formality. In this case, however, it is not entirely certain that enough EPP Christian Democrats will agree to the compromise to obtain a sufficient majority in Parliament.
EVP still wants to check
“The PPE group will seriously examine and carefully consider today’s results before the next decisions in the Environment Committee and the plenary session,” said CDU negotiator Christine Schneider. Nature conservation and climate goals went hand in hand with agriculture and forestry. EU agricultural policy funds should not be used for measures provided for by law. She is pleased that the other factions have moved in the direction of the Christian Democrats on many key issues.
Green MP Jutta Paulus, who was involved in the negotiations, spoke of some painful compromises. What is important, however, is the signal that the EU takes its international obligations seriously. The Christian Democrats promoted significant flexibility in the negotiations.
The EU Commission welcomed the outcome of the negotiations. By 2030, EU states must carry out measures in at least 20% of land and sea areas to restore good conditions. The environmental organization WWF spoke about gaps in the law in a statement. The many exceptions and flexibility in EU states’ obligations are disappointing. (APA)