More than 200 environmental NGOs have joined forces to launch a new campaign aimed at securing sufficient support among national governments and members of the European Parliament to get the proposed EU Nature Restoration Law adopted by the end of the year.
The ‘Restore Nature’ campaign – led by the European Environmental Bureau, WWF, and BirdLife – urges politicians across the bloc to back strong EU legislation on nature and pass the proposed law by the end of 2023.
“Biodiversity loss and climate breakdown are putting the survival of our planet, and humankind itself, in jeopardy,” the letters submitted under the campaign say.
“As nature continues to decline, droughts, floods, and fires are becoming increasingly frequent; they are already claiming lives and risking food security while destroying livelihoods, the planet, and the economy,” they say.
The campaign comes as the draft EU Nature Restoration Law, proposed by the executive arm of the EU in June 2022, is under discussion in the European Parliament, where it is facing opposition from large groups like the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), which claims the law would jeopardise food security.
European nature is in alarming decline, according to the EU Commission, with more than 80% of habitats in poor condition.
If adopted, the law would set multiple binding restoration targets and obligations across a broad range of ecosystems, from forests and agricultural land to urban areas, rivers, and marine habitats, complementing existing laws.
The draft calls for nature restoration measures to cover at least 20% of EU land and sea areas by 2030, and all ecosystems in need of restoration by mid-century. Specifically, the law also targets a reverse in the decline of pollinator populations by 2030.
To implement the proposed regulations, EU Member States would be required to develop nature restoration plans that would be assessed by the EU Commission.
In Parliament, the environment committee rapporteur, Cesar Luena from the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party, has drafted his take and collected amendments proposed by fellow lawmakers and other political groups.
The committee is expected to agree on a text on June 8, before proceeding to a plenary vote in July.
A spokesperson for green coalition group CAN Europe told Carbon Pulse that in the Council of Ministers it is clear that some Member States still have serious concerns about the legislation for reasons related to food security, finance, and strictly protected zones.
Ministers are having technical discussions, and are expected to release a general approach during an Environmental Council meeting on June 20.
Trilogues – informal negotiations between the Parliament, Council, and Commission – are expected to begin in the second half of the year, under the Spanish presidency.
By Emanuela Barbiroglio – emanuela@carbon-pulse.com
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