The Conservative Party has serious concerns about the bill.
(Photo: dpa)
brussels The European Commission is doing everything it can to get the Natural Restoration Act through the EU Parliament and is preparing to take on its critics.
Both the Agriculture Committee and the Fisheries Committee have already rejected the proposal. The law could finally lose in a decisive environment committee next Thursday. Conservative parties such as the CDU and CSU have already submitted corresponding applications.
The Nature Restoration Act is the first of the Conservatives to announce a total lockdown, saying EU environmental law has generally gone too far. At the heart of the disputed rules is that EU member states should restore 20 percent of damaged land and sea.
The Conservatives have a lot to worry about. They fear it will have a severe impact on agriculture and food shortages, which will make food more expensive in an already persistent period of inflation. They also see conflicting goals for the expansion of renewable energy, for which land is also needed. “We want to achieve biodiversity together with farmers,” says Christian Schneider of the CDU. “We must not repeat the mistakes of the past, but must set ourselves goals that are equally achievable.”
While the committee has unequivocally rejected these concerns, it is dependent on parliamentary approval and therefore on the approval of the committee. So, in a discussion paper provided to Handelsblatt, the commission has now expressed its willingness to amend the original draft – in the hopes of eventually passing the commission’s law.
Among other things, the committee wants to be less strict about increasing urban green space. She also wants to cooperate with the federal states in restoring the dry wasteland – according to the adjustment, this is no longer agricultural land. Restoring peatlands is one of the most cost-effective measures to sequester carbon dioxide while providing biodiversity benefits.
“Flowerless Technique”
Restoring nature is critical to improving the productivity and resilience of forests and agricultural lands, with almost all regions of Europe already under serious threat from the increasing impacts of climate change, the commission’s paper states: “Drought, fire and degraded soils are threatening food Production.”
For Jutta Paulus from the Green Party, EU law is also life insurance for food safety, health and species protection. “The EU will not be able to meet its climate targets without restoring destroyed habitats,” the MEP said.
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The Greens’ argument is backed by Frankfurt: European Central Bank (ECB) executive board member Frank Elderson told the Financial Times this week that protecting biodiversity is vital to the economy, “while Not an exercise in flower power”: “If you destroy nature, you destroy the economy.” Critics have urged the ECB to focus on curbing inflation rather than tackling climate or environmental issues.
Some companies, including food and hygiene giant Unilever, outdoor goods company Patagonia, food company Nestle and beverage maker Coca-Cola, have also published an open letter urging EU lawmakers to vote for the law because it will affect people There are economical positive long-term effects.
Schneider, a CDU politician, was surprised by the European Commission’s proposal for discussion. In terms of content, it’s a first step in the right direction, the congressman said. “But the committee has to withdraw the law, prepare an impact assessment and write a new proposal,” Schneider said.
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