There was a heated debate in Brussels over the EU law on nature conservation – now negotiators from the member states and parliament have agreed on a compromise. The law could still fail in the end.
In order for nature to recover in the EU, more forests should be reforested, moors rewetted and rivers restored to their natural state. Negotiators from the European Parliament and the EU states agreed on a hotly debated nature conservation project on Friday night.
Accordingly, the EU member states commit to taking measures to restore nature on 20 percent of the EU’s land areas and in the sea by 2030. “Europe is committed not only to preserving and protecting nature, but also to restoring it,” said Spanish Minister for Ecological Transition Teresa Ribera. Spain is currently holding the EU Council Presidency.
The background to the law is that, according to EU information, around 80 percent of the habitats in the European Union are in poor condition. In addition, ten percent of bee and butterfly species are threatened with extinction and 70 percent of the soil is in an unhealthy condition. The EU states said that the number of wild insect pollinators in Europe has declined dramatically in recent decades. To counteract this, the regulation stipulates that member states must take measures to reverse the decline by 2030 at the latest.
Christian Democrats wanted to prevent the law
The law was preceded by a heated dispute, among other things because strict requirements for farmers were feared. The Christian Democrats in particular were against the project and tried to put it on hold completely. However, a motion to reject the law did not receive 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 had feared.
The compromise reached still has to be formally approved by the EU states and the European Parliament. Normally this is a formality. In this case, however, it is not entirely certain that enough Christian Democrats from the EPP will agree to the compromise to get a sufficient majority in Parliament.
Compromises “painful” for the Greens
“The EPP group will seriously examine and carefully weigh up today’s results before the upcoming decisions in the Environment Committee and in 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 under the 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 international obligations seriously. The Christian Democrats pushed through significant easing in the negotiations. The EU Commission welcomed the outcome of the negotiations.
WWF disappointed
By 2030, the EU states should carry out measures on at least 20 percent of land and sea areas to restore a good condition. The environmental organization WWF spoke of loopholes in the law in a statement. Many exceptions and flexibility in the obligations of the EU states are disappointing.