On Thursday, November 9th, the European Parliament and the member states of the European Union (EU) agreed on a key legislative proposal to restore nature and biodiversity, with a particular focus on the issue of agriculture. According to a press release from the European Council, which represents the 27 member states, the text will require member countries to implement nature restoration measures on at least 20% of the bloc’s land and sea areas by 2030.
European lawmakers welcomed the deal, reached before midnight after several hours of discussions that began Thursday afternoon, but critics pointed out that elements had been watered down. “We can be proud of this historic result, which defines ambitious rules that can be implemented by everyone,” said Pascal Canfin, chairman of the Environment Committee in Parliament, on X (formerly Twitter). Spanish Minister for Ecological Transition Teresa Ribera Rodriguez said she was “proud” of the law, “the first of its kind.” “It will help us restore healthy levels of biodiversity, preserving nature for future generations while combating climate change,” she said.
The European Commission proposed the text in 2022. The main party in the European Parliament, the European People’s Party (EPP, right), tried to abandon it at the beginning of 2023. Ahead of negotiations between Member States and Parliament, the training particularly argued that the text would undermine food security in Europe. Elected representatives of the left and center then accused the EPP, which is relying on the agricultural vote, of using the proposed law with a view to the 2024 European elections. But on Thursday the party finally proudly highlighted the “remarkable improvements” in the “heavily revised” text, such as the deletion of the “obligation to renaturate 10% of agricultural land”.
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80% of natural habitats in the EU are degraded
In the context of the Kunming-Montreal International Agreement (COP15 Biodiversity), the legislation will require the Twenty-Seven to restore at least 30% of degraded habitats by 2030, then 60% by 2040, and 90%. Pollution, urbanization, intensive exploitation: According to Brussels, 80% of natural habitats in the EU are in a “poor or fair” state of conservation (particularly peatlands, dunes, meadows) and up to 70% of soils are in poor health.
For Tatiana Nuno, senior marine policy officer at environmental group Seas At Risk, the agreement “falls far short of what is needed to address the biodiversity crisis, but when it comes to the oceans, it is a crucial step toward restoring precious marine life.” , which supports it.” “Although the provisions of the Fisheries Law have been significantly weakened by the Council, they represent an attempt to establish coherence between environmental and fisheries policies, which should have been done a long time ago,” explained Vera Coelho, deputy vice-president of the organization Oceana in Europe.
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