It appeared that the Nature Restoration Law, a key piece of the Green Deal, was a done deal. Yet a minority of EU members, including Italy and Hungary, once again prevented the adoption of legislation to reverse decades of ecosystem degradation and honour the Montreal-Kunming global agreement to halt biodiversity loss.

The text was supposed to receive the final approval stamp during the EU Environment Ministers' Summit held on the 25th of March, but Belgium, as holder of the EU Council presidency, postponed the vote when it became clear that there was insufficient support from member states.

Having been forced to abstain as a result of opposition from its own northern Flemish region, Belgium failed to muster the qualified majority needed to approve the compromise reached earlier this month. Sherpas thus reopened the file on the 22nd of March, and a new vote will be rescheduled for a later meeting "at the appropriate time."

The opposing countries included Austria, Finland, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, and Italy, with Hungary playing a decisive role, blowing up the vote. Back during the vote in Parliament, conservatives had already gone to great lengths to stop the law, with 275 votes against and 24 abstentions, concerned by the farmers' protests mounted over the past month, although the EPP had come to a split vote with 25 MEPs supporting the Nature Restoration Law. But now the green hostility of the right-wingers is resurfacing, led by Orban, who in a political coup contributed greatly to the halt.

WWF's Petition for Nature Restoration Law

"After the European Parliament's approval, it is now crucial that the Council confirms its commitment to ensure the restoration of degraded ecosystems in all EU countries, to help meet the European climate and biodiversity goals, and to increase food security. The security of all European citizens is at stake," WWF Italy writes in a statement.

For this reason, the environmental association has launched the call Un sì per la Nature Restoration Law è un sì anche per la sicurezza di tutti i cittadini europei (A yes for the Nature Restoration Law is also a yes for the safety of all European citizens), addressing first and foremost the Italian government, demanding that it reconsider its stance and ensure that the EU Council incorporates the suggestions of the European Parliament, scientists, and civil society.

A petition that has already been signed by 147 distinguished scientists and naturalists proving the value and importance of this law, and that now requires also the signature of citizens so that it cannot go unnoticed.

The Italian Minister of the Environment Gilberto Pichetto Fratin made no statement to our newspaper on the matter, nor did he comment on the scientists' appeal.

"The European right wing's campaign goes on, with the failure to pass the Nature Restoration Law, they are stealing the future. And Italy led by the Meloni government is at the forefront in halting its path: a low blow to the fight against climate change and the protection of biodiversity in Europe," Angelo Bonelli, of Europa Verde, said in a note. “So a key pillar for steering the EU toward a greener, resilient and sustainable future is missing. Given that the law was meant to counter biodiversity loss and restore degraded ecosystems, which are essential to our survival due to the valuable work they do to reduce the impact of greenhouse gases."

What the Nature Restoration Law would stipulate

By 2030, member states will have to restore to good status at least 20 percent of the habitats covered by the text, namely forests, grasslands, wetlands, rivers, lakes and corals. This percentage will then increase to 60 percent by 2040 and 90 percent by 2050.
In line with the Parliament's stance, priority should be given to Natura 2000 areas until 2030. EU countries will have to ensure that restored areas do not return to significant deterioration. In addition, they will have to adopt national restoration plans detailing how they intend to achieve the targets.

To promote biodiversity in agricultural environments, EU member states are required to exhibit progress in at least two of the following three parameters: the common butterfly population index, the percentage of agricultural areas containing landscape elements of

In addition, they need to take steps to increase the population index of wild birds, as they are a reliable indicator of the overall health of biodiversity. Furthermore, since peatlands are one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce emissions in the agricultural sector, EU countries will need to restore at least 30 percent of drained peatlands by 2030 (at least one-quarter will have to be rewetted), 40 percent by 2040, and 50 percent by 2050 (with at least one-third rewetted). Re-humidification will continue to be voluntary for farmers and private landowners.high biological diversity, and the stock of organic carbon in mineral agricultural soils.

Finally, as requested by Parliament, the Nature Restoration Law provides an emergency brake to safeguard food security. Under exceptional circumstances, the mechanism will allow for the suspension of agricultural ecosystem targets if those reduce the area under cultivation to such an extent that food production is compromised and rendered inadequate for EU consumption.

“Any corporate executive responsible for causing pollution will, in fact, be able to be held accountable for their actions, on a par with the company. With the introduction of the due diligence, therefore, there will be no way to hide behind permits or legislative gimmicks,” commented Rapporteur for the European Parliament Antonius Manders (EPP, NL).

This article is also available in Italian / Questo articolo è disponibile anche in italiano

Immagine: Alain MARON (Minister for Climate Transition, Environment, Energy and Participative Democracy, Belgium) Copyright: European Union

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