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Resistance in Brussels against nature restoration law
Within the European Parliament there is a lot of resistance to the nature restoration law announced by the European Commission and the halving of the use of chemical plant protection products. This was revealed this afternoon during a meeting of the European Agriculture Commission with European Commissioner Frans Timmermans.
Timmermans is running too fast, wants to rush through the plans with steam and boiling water and would only start the discussion now that the proposal threatens to be sent back to the European Commission. The criticism that the (co-)designer of the Green Deal received during the debate was harsh. But Timmermans remains calm, as he - in his own words - has also swallowed all the insults from the agricultural umbrella organization Copa-Cogeca. Nature restoration is a pillar of the Green Deal, says Timmermans. "It is not a menu of options, the Commission is not coming up with a plan B."
According to the European Commissioner, everyone in parliament wants solutions 'for the biodiversity and climate crisis'. "We are experiencing the biggest drought in 2030 years. We are already seeing drought in southern Europe in March and Italy is being hit by floods. We don't have time to not act. It's all based on science. That's the biggest threat to food security, and therefore also to our farmers." As for reducing chemical use to half by XNUMX, he emphasizes that it is about the EU as a whole, not per Member State or farm level.
'Rural area is completely locked'
MEP Bert-Jan Ruissen (SGP) wants the nature restoration bill to be rejected. hiss has been warning for a long time for the law. "I know one thing for sure: if we do this, we will end up in a new nitrogen crisis, which will dwarf the current one," said the politician in January during an SGP congress of which Boerenbusiness did report. Even today he made no bones about it: "The rural area will be completely locked down. The Natura 2000 approach will be expanded beyond Natura 2000. 10% of farmers' land will be earmarked for nature. How are you going to compensate farmers?"
According to Timmermans, the effect of the new regulation on agricultural land should not be exaggerated: "8,1% of the Dutch territory has been set aside for nature conservation. With the Nature Restoration Act that will be 8,6%", he told the committee members, who spent a week on a working visit to the Netherlands and spoke with farmers here. What Timmermans takes away from the conversations with Dutch farmers is that it must be clear to agricultural entrepreneurs when what will be applied, in other words a time frame.
Dutch cabinet against
The Dutch cabinet also has major problems with the nature restoration law, which also includes a ban on deterioration outside Natura 2000 areas. The law actually locks the Netherlands further than it already does with the nitrogen crisis. An initial exploration that has been carried out shows that the prohibition on deterioration has a positive effect on nature, but can have far-reaching consequences 'for other spatial interests in the Netherlands'. Even activities aimed at sustainability, such as the construction of underground infrastructure in the energy supply needed for greenhouse horticulture, solar panels and wind turbines, cannot continue, said LNV minister Piet Adema last month in the House of Representatives.
The government has drawn attention to the objections to the regulation in talks with, among others, the European Commission, European Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius and Timmermans and says it will continue to do so. More countries object, but according to the cabinet, the law has a greater impact on densely populated countries such as the Netherlands and Belgium.
Linda van Eekeres
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