On July 12, 2023, the European Parliament finally approved the proposed Nature Restoration Law (NRL). By a weak majority-336 votes in favor, 300 against and 13 abstentions-because of opposition from the European People’s Party (EPP), the Liberals(Renew Europe) and the Euroskeptics(Identity and Democracy). The text is now being submitted for negotiations with the Council and the European Commission in the trilogue.
1) Nature Restoration Law
European Environment Agency
, in its report The state of nature in the EU (2020), indicates that 81 percent of the Old Continent’s habitats are in a degraded condition. Unsustainable agriculture and forestry, unregulated urban sprawl, and pollution are the main causes of the loss of biodiversity and disappearance of pollinator insects, which are critical to the stability of agri-food systems. (1)
Nature Restoration Law
calls for the restoration of at least 20 percent of Europe’s marine and terrestrial land by 2030 and all habitats by 2050. Specific objectives, such as:
– Zero net loss of urban green spaces by 2030 and increase them by 2050,
– Reversing the decline of pollinators by 2030,
– To restore at least 25 thousand kilometers of free-flowing rivers by 2030,
– Increase the occurrence of butterflies and birds in pastures and farmland and the share of farmland with high diversity landscape features,
– Restoring marine habitats. (2)
NRL, debate continues
The attempt to boycott the Nature Restoration Law by the popular, liberal and Eurosceptic parties-May 23, 2023, as noted (3)-has therefore failed. And rapporteur Cesar Luena, a Spanish Socialist MEP, stressed that ‘this law is also good for those who voted against it, who I hope can rejoice after this vote.’
Of an opposite opinion is Marco Zanni, an Italian Leghist MEP according to whom ”at the expense (of the adoption of the Nature Restoration Act) once again, are the people of Europe. (…) the measure for which the leftists are celebrating is a slap in the face to farmers and fishermen, will have disastrous consequences and will hit their business hard‘. (4)
Manfred Weber, president of the EPP Group, joined the COPA-COGECA flash mob. The confederation that is supposed to represent European farmers and agricultural cooperatives, with conflicts of interest already reported, (5) alleges that the proposed regulation is ‘ill-prepared, lacks a budget and will remain unenforceable for farmers and forest owners.’ (6)
A sigh of relief
In contrast, IFOAM-the international organization dedicated to fostering the ecological transition through organic farming while respecting ecosystems, human health and animal welfare-declares a satisfaction that is widely shared with civil society.
‘MEPs who voted against nature restoration are not defending farmers, but are preparing for a more difficult future and making our food systems more vulnerable,’ (Jan Plagge, President of IFOAM Europe).
Healthy and resilient ecosystems are critical for agriculture. Fertile soils, clean water, biodiversity and pollinating insects are needed to produce food. The Nature Restoration Law will only benefit European farmers and ranchers, since toxic pesticides and habitat destruction are the very things that endanger agri-food systems and food security. With serious damage, in particular, to small and medium-sized farms. Changing the record is necessary and urgent. (7).
Protecting nature for agriculture
The narrative that farmers are opposed to the Nature Restoration Law is false. The hundreds of thousands of farmers in Europe who work in the organic sector are joined by those – certainly not a few – who are even ignorant of the content of the proposed regulation, which has been widely misrepresented by the major agricultural confederations. Where a large proportion of farmers and farmers in Europe are well aware of the need for healthy ecosystems to ensure the continuity of their productions.
Organic farming can increase soil fertility, preserve biodiversity, protect watersheds and store carbon through healthy soils. And if food is to continue to be produced in the Union, increasingly extreme weather events, such as droughts or floods, must be coped with and adapted to. Appropriate and consistent legislation throughout the European Union is therefore necessary for long-term planning for farmer safety. (8)
Interim conclusions
Attention must now focus on attempts to ‘revise downward’ nature restoration targets in case of exceptional socioeconomic consequences. As well as the risks of delays in the implementation of the new regulation, which some would like to tie to a previous assessment of the costs to member states of restoring degraded natural areas.
The Commission will have 12 months from the entry into force of the regulation to assess any gap between the financial needs of rehabilitation and available funding, and identify appropriate means to close the gap. (4) Restoring nature, surely, will cost less than producing weapons of mass destruction to which European and national institutions are now self-sacrificingly dedicated.
Dario Dongo and Alessandra Mei
Cover cartoon by Seppo, 4/16/22 http://www.seppo.net/e/
Notes
(1) European Environment Agency. The state of nature in the EU 19.10.2020 https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/state-of-nature-in-the-eu-2020
(2) Nature Restoration Law. Amendments’ adopted by the European Parliament on July 12, 2023 on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on nature restoration. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2023-0277_EN.pdf
(3) Dario Dongo. Nature Restoration Law, the European Parliament boycotts biodiversity restoration. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 3.6.23
(4) Antonio Bonanata. Europarliament vote on nature restoration: leftists rejoice, environmentalists less so. RaiNews. https://tinyurl.com/36nbbr7d 12.7.23
(5) Dario Dongo, Marta Strinati. Post-2020 CAP, environment and health at risk. Appeal to the EU Parliament. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 16.10.20
(6) Copa-Cogeca. Flash action on the Nature Restoration Law https://copa-cogeca.eu/?lang=en
(7) IFOAM. Adoption Nature Restoration Law gives hope for food & farming systems. https://tinyurl.com/2wnt2tcd 12.7.23
(8) IFOAM. Nature restoration cannot be postponed. https://tinyurl.com/5bm8umbb 10.7.23
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
Graduated in Law from the University of Bologna, she attended the Master in Food Law at the same University. You participate in the WIISE srl benefit team by dedicating yourself to European and international research and innovation projects.
. By a weak majority-336 votes in favor, 300 against and 13 abstentions-because of opposition from the European People's Party (EPP), the Liberals (Renew Europe) and the Euroskeptics (Identity and Democracy). the text is now being submitted for negotiations with the Council and the European Commission in the trilogue.){kind=link}