Background Politics
Exciting vote on European Nature Restoration Act
The Environment Committee of the European Parliament will vote tomorrow (June 27) on the Nature Restoration Act, a pillar of Frans Timmermans' Green Deal. The proposal has been watered down after criticism from member states. On Thursday, the vote on a proposal to repeal the law ended in a stalemate. If that is also the case during the vote of the committee on the bill itself, it will cause new headaches for Timmermans.
A majority of the environment ministers of the EU member states supported the Nature Restoration Act (see picture). The Netherlands remains against and Sweden, Finland, Poland and Italy also do not agree.
The European Agriculture Commission turned against the law a month ago. Then it was a vote on an advice and not on the law itself (which had not yet been amended at the time). In the European environment committee last Thursday, a motion to reject the proposal did not make it, because 44 members voted in favor and 44 against. Tomorrow there will be a vote on the bill itself and it is exciting to see what the result will be.
MEP Bert-Jan Ruissen (SGP) has been saying for over a year that the proposal should go back to Timmermans' drawing board. "It cannot be the case that nature should always be given priority over other needs, such as housing or even energy transition. That is a nitrogen crisis 2.0 in a densely populated country like the Netherlands. Lower governments, such as municipalities and provinces, must be able to make those considerations themselves." said Ruissen.
In the new proposal, the prohibition on the deterioration of habitats outside Natura 2000 areas has been weakened to a best efforts obligation. The recovery targets no longer apply per habitat, but for the EU as a whole. The time frame is also longer and member states may make exceptions if certain interests, such as the production of green energy or national defense, are involved.
Legally not watertight
The adjustments are insufficient for the SGP. Ruissen: "Apparently, the ban on deterioration outside the Natura 2000 areas is now an effort obligation instead of an obligation of result. But legally it is formulated in such a way that judges can still do anything with it. The SGP is not convinced."
According to him, the fact that Timmermans promised extra money to certain countries during the ministerial meeting is 'a bit vague'. "It is unclear which pots that comes from." Furthermore, the percentages rewetting (wetting of peat meadow areas) has decreased, but is still quite high, says Ruissen. "This is a major problem for dairy farming in large parts of the Netherlands!" He indicated that the requirement of 10% landscape elements (derelict land) is still included in the proposal and member states must contribute to it.
'Too big finger in the pie of national nature policy'
Ruissen is also critical of the power the European Commission has in determining national plans. "If the Commission finds national plans insufficient, Member States must adjust them. This gives the European Commission too much of a finger in the pie of national nature policy."
Ruissen will vote against the proposal again tomorrow in the European Parliament's Environment Committee. According to Ruissen, if there is no majority for the amended proposal in the environment committee tomorrow, Timmermans will have 'a very big problem' and the process will be at least significantly delayed.
Even if the Environment Committee votes in favour, the process is not yet over. The proposal will be on the agenda of the European Parliament in mid-July. If the European Parliament also supports the law, the environment ministers of the member states still have to reach a compromise with the parliament.
Linda van Eekeres
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