European nature is at risk as right-wing governments are trying to derail the long fought for Nature Restoration Law. After EU member states’ ambassadors failed to agree on Wednesday, the debate was postponed to today, to prepare a final vote by the EU Environment ministers on Monday. Because the Dutch government changed its position, the fate of the law is now in the hands of Orbán.
Wednesday's approval of the nature restoration law by EU member states’ ambassadors was supposed to be a formality, but they failed to agree, and the debate was postponed to today (Friday).
The governments of Italy and Sweden intend to vote against the Nature Restoration Law. The Dutch government changed its position and will vote against it, following pressure from the right-wing parties in the Dutch parliament. This change puts the fate of the law in the hands of Hungary’s unreliable prime minister Viktor Orbán.
European Greens’ leading candidate Bas Eickhout said: “This is how the EU would look like with radical right in power. The Netherlands are now on the same page as Orbán, Fico and Meloni. There has been no change in the data or the research underpinning the Nature Restoration Law since the Council and Parliament agreed. On the contrary: the warnings get more urgent and severe.”
European Greens’ leading candidate Terry Reintke added: “EU governments must now walk their talk, they must show courage to counter climate change and respect the agreement found with the European Parliament. We cannot allow European governments to cave in to populists instead of delivering on what's proven to be necessary for the people, for their health and for the planet. The extreme right is not interested in nature, biodiversity or climate protection, their self-declared „conservatism“ is pure hypocrisy. It goes also against the explicit demands of many European companies who have been advocating for the Nature Restoration Law."
Background
In June 2023, forces in the European People's Party collaborated with the far right in the European Parliament to try to kill the Nature Restoration Law and parts of the Green Deal. The Greens in the European Parliament fended off this attack together with the progressive forces in the European Parliament.
On 27 February 2024, the European Parliament adopted the deal agreed with the member states by 329 votes to 275, with 24 abstentions and two dozen EPP MEPs breaking ranks to vote in favour.
The Nature Restoration Law is about protecting us from environmental disasters. In 2022 alone, 61,000 people died in Europe as a result of massive heat waves. By reforesting, farming more naturally and giving the rivers space again, we can begin protecting ourselves from floods, droughts and extreme weather brought on by climate change.
The UN’s World Meteorological Agency said this week that 2023 was the hottest year in 174 years of records. Last week, the European Environment Agency warned European countries must act now before climate change wreaks "catastrophic" damage on the European economies and societies.
