"The political games that the European People's Party (EPP) is playing are putting nature and people at risk", the European Green Party says. This Tuesday morning EPP parliament members for the second time sabotaged the process on the Nature Restoration Law in the European Parliament - ignoring that it has been approved by the European Commission and the Council where the EPP Members parties are present.
Fortunately, the plenary vote of the European Parliament in July is the only vote that counts.
The irony is that Ursula von der Leyen's Commission presidency is supported by her own European People’s Party (EPP), but the nature legislation coming out of the Commission is being sabotaged by the same EPP. Last week, the European Council reached an agreement on the Nature Restoration Law. Members of the European People's Party are part of some national governments that are in favour of the law.
Thomas Waitz and Mélanie Vogel, Co-Chairs of the European Green Party, say: "The European People’s Party tries to scare the citizens with their false claim that the Nature Restoration Law would ‘put food security in danger’. But the opposite is true. The biggest threat for farmers and the food supply is the heat and lack of water on their lands, due to global warming and climate change. The Nature Restoration Law is the first concrete proposal of measures to keep water on the land. Trees and plants slow down the water stream, and help to prevent floods. Without trees, plants and nature, there is water scarcity and no food. Our children's and grandchildren's generations need timely action, a coherent European approach (nature doesn't stop at borders) and some courage on the part of all political decision-makers".
"The EPP in the European Parliament is fighting legislation approved by the European Commission and by governments including EPP member parties. The EPP is rejecting scientific evidence and going rogue on nature policy. The party of Christian-democrats and centrists is apparently in full election mode, spreading misinformation and teaming up with the far right to sink the work of Commission president Ursula von der Leyen. This is irresponsible and dangerous. The focus is now on the crucial plenary vote in July, where there is still a chance that a majority of European Parliament Members will do the right thing and stand up for nature", Mélanie Vogel and Thomas Waitz conclude.
The double standards of the European People's Party stand in stark contrast to the strong position of the European Greens on nature restoration and climate policy. At the European Green Party Congress in Copenhagen in 2022 and in Vienna earlier this month, all European Green parties reaffirmed their commitment to defend the Green Deal, climate and nature policies.
Background
The European Commission, led by Ursula von der Leyen, adopted the proposal for the Nature Restoration Law in June 2022. The aim is to restore wetlands, rivers, forests, grasslands and marine ecosystems. This will help to increase biodiversity, clean our water and air, and protect us from floods.
On 15 June in the European Parliament, MEPs from the European People's Party tried to reject the legislative proposal altogether. Fortunately, their amendment failed to get a majority in the European Parliament's ENVI Committee. The main driver of this strategy is Manfred Weber, the EPP's president, who was denied the post of Commission president after the last European elections in 2019 and is pulling the EPP away from the center to the right. It is worth noting that for the 15 June vote, the EPP replaced a third of its regular ENVI members to ensure that the group line was strictly adhered to.
Last week, the European Council reached an agreement on the Nature Directive. The Council is ready for negotiations. Members of the European People's Party are part of the Environment Council.
