Negotiators from the European Parliament and EU countries agreed on a hotly debated nature conservation project on Friday evening. Purpose of the law: For nature to recover, more forests must be reforested, heathlands must be re-watered and rivers must be restored to their natural state. About 80 percent of living spaces 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. EU states said the number of wild insect pollinators in Europe has declined dramatically in recent decades. To counter this, the regulation requires Member States to take measures to reverse the decline by 2030 at the latest. By then, EU countries must take measures on at least 20 percent of the land and sea areas to restore good status.
The European People’s Party wanted to put the law on hold
The law was preceded by a heated discussion, partly because it was feared that strict requirements would be imposed on farmers. The German Christian Democrats (CDU) in particular were against the project and tried to stop it completely. In July, Agriculture Minister Norbert Totschnig (ÖVP) also criticized the project’s objectives as “excessive” and criticized its unclear financing. However, a motion to reject the law did not receive a majority in parliament this summer.
This time the blessing is not a formality
With the compromise now negotiated, farmers will not be obliged to make a certain percentage of their land available for environmentally friendly measures, as farmers had already feared. The compromise reached still needs to be formally approved by the EU countries and the European Parliament. Normally this is a formality. In this case, however, it is not certain that enough Christian Democrats from the EPP will agree to the compromise to gain a sufficient majority in Parliament.
“The EPP group will seriously examine today’s results and weigh them carefully before the upcoming decisions in the Environment Committee and in the plenary,” said CDU negotiator Christine Schneider. Nature conservation and climate objectives went hand in hand with agriculture and forestry. The EU agricultural policy funds may not be used for measures under the law. She was pleased that the Christian Democrats had achieved significant relaxation in negotiations with the other groups. The European Commission welcomed the outcome of the negotiations.
Criticism of ‘loopholes in the law’
The Austrian environmental umbrella organization welcomed the groundbreaking decision “despite painful compromises”. Specific requirements to improve nature on agricultural land were particularly welcomed. In this way, emissions can be reduced and biodiversity preserved, the umbrella organization for the environment says in a press release. Criticism was expressed about the ’emergency brake’ provided for in the law: the provisions can be suspended in ‘extraordinary’ circumstances. The WWF also criticized such ‘loopholes’ in the law, which allowed EU states to avoid their obligations.
While SPÖ-EU MP Günther Sidl welcomed the agreement in a broadcast, the FPÖ criticized the law. It should be rejected in its current form because it poses “a danger to agriculture and forestry”, according to liberal EU MP Roman Haider. Farmers would be threatened with the “withdrawal of subsidies essential to their survival”.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
