The first green light from the European Parliament for the bill

It is a failure for the conservatives of the European People’s Party who denounced a text harmful to agricultural production and economic activity. On Wednesday 12 July, the European Parliament gave the first go-ahead to the Ecosystem Restoration Bill. A key text of the EU Green Charter proposed by Brussels has been opposed by elected officials of the right and far right.

This legislation aims to impose binding targets on states to restore terrestrial and marine areas affected by pollution or intensive exploitation, in order to conserve biodiversity. MEPs will now have to negotiate content with member states.

However, on Wednesday, the European Parliament approved a version of the text “largely mitigated” compared to the European Commission’s initial proposals, according to environmentalists. This position received 336 votes in favor (300 against and 13 abstentions).

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Text rapporteur, Spanish MEP, César Luena (S&D, left) prof “collective victory” And “Good news for nature, for member states and for the European Union itself”.

“We are on our date with our future”also rejoiced on Twitter, a member of the Board of Directors of the Environment Committee Pascal Canvin, Chairman of the Environment Committee. “The far-right operation and Manfred Weber (President of the European People’s Party) failed”.

A less ambitious script than expected

However, the ambition of the text has been significantly revised downwards. Parliament’s position is close to that adopted by Member States on June 20. The text is completely devoid of its content.said Ann Sander, European People’s Party Rapporteur for the CAG text.

But the conservative group thought it championed a line supported by many voters, especially from the agricultural world, hostile to environmental regulations they consider excessive.

“I am of course disappointed, but our commitment has not been in vain. I will continue to stand up for the will of the people in rural areas.”announced the German governor Peter Leese was elected.

Green MEP Caroline Roose prof ‘Bitter victory’ And a scar “obstruction right” Which led to the adoption of the version “largely mitigated”.

Biodiversity Protection Act

The bill aims to halt the decline of biodiversity and better confront climate change by mandating the restoration of damaged ecosystems.

Pollution, urbanization, intensive exploitation … According to Brussels, more than 80% of natural habitats in the European Union are in a state of protection “bad or average” (especially peatlands, dunes and grasslands), and up to 70% of the soils are in poor health.

A text proposed by the European Commission in mid-2022 would require the 27 countries to introduce restoration measures by 2030 on 20% of land and sea areas EU-wide, and then by 2050 in all areas that require it.

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Left and center MEPs denounced the political process carried out by European People’s Party leader Manfred Weber, citing the strategy of rapprochement with the far right. An electoral position, according to them, one year before the European elections in June 2024.

Conservatives, for their part, derided a poorly designed and unproductive script.

The European Parliament has voted in favor of legally binding targets for the restoration of degraded landscapes.Greenpeace, however, rejoiced, welcoming “The first legislation in 30 years to protect biodiversity in the European Union”.