Vote on Monday? – Renaturation Act: EU debate continues

A discussion about the planned EU regulations is scheduled for Monday. It was initially unclear whether or not a decision would be made. The EU Parliament has approved it so far, but now a green light from the EU countries is needed. This requires a majority of at least fifteen countries, which together represent at least 65 percent of the EU population.

Until recently, this majority was hardly achieved. If another Minister of the Environment were to speak out in favor, that would be sufficient. The representative of Austria had previously abstained.

Another approval required
Gewessler had repeatedly said in the past that he was in favor of the EU renaturation law, but that he would not agree to it due to a statement from the federal states. After the governments of Vienna and Carinthia gave up their veto, it was unclear whether the minister was still bound by this declaration.

Moreover, it is not yet clear whether Agriculture Minister Norbert Totschnig (ÖVP), who has spoken out against the renaturation law, will also have to agree. Other shaky candidates in the vote include the governments of Slovakia and Poland, where there has been a recent change of government.

Environmental protection organizations for this
In Austria, environmental organizations such as the WWF are in favor of the planned law, while the Chamber of Agriculture is against it. Supporters argue for more climate protection and biodiversity, while the opposing party argues for more bureaucracy and costs.