A deciding vote. This Wednesday, July 12, the European Parliament must decide on the future of the law” restoration of nature », key text of the green pact intended to “stop the loss of biodiversity and restore nature to good health”.
The stakes are high: today, 80% of natural habitats in the European Union and 70% of soils are in a poor state of conservation. However, if scientists continue to insist on the importance of the regeneration of ecosystems to stem the climate crisis, the right and the far right are fiercely opposed to the text, even calling for its abandonment. This political battle, one year before the European elections, does not bode well.
A political bickering that does not take into account the climate emergency
The text did not have a simple legislative process last month in Brussels, as mentioned Publication : “ Softened during its passage in the Council of Ministers for the Environment, rejected without a doubt by the Committee on Fisheries and Agriculture, it was even rejected by the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, after a perfect equality of votes, on June 27. So many setbacks that bitterly illustrate the discrepancy between the environmental emergency and political bickering “. In the absence of an agreement found in the parliamentary commission, all the MEPs meeting in Strasbourg must pronounce this Wednesday on a motion of rejection, fiercely defended by the European People’s Party (EPP, right), majority in the hemicycle.
Proposed in mid-2022 by Brussels, the law “restoration of nature” it would oblige member states to align themselves with the Montreal COP15 Agreement by setting binding targets for the restoration of land and sea areas damaged by pollution or overexploitation.
It didn’t take long for the Conservatives to cry foul, saying they were concerned about the repercussions (read: economic losses) to agriculture, fisheries or renewable energy. “Restoring nature should not sign the death sentence of all economic, industrial, forestry and agricultural production in Europe”hammered the French elected Anne Sander (Ppe), rapporteur of the text in the Agriculture Committee.
Two opposing worldviews
On Tuesday, the day before the vote, a hundred climate activists, led by Greta Thunberg, therefore gathered in front of Parliament to side with the right and the agricultural lobbies. ” To mitigate the climate crisis and biodiversity loss, we need to restore more nature. Science has proven it”the Swedish activist told AFP.
At his side, the co-president of the Left Group in the European Parliament, Manon Aubry, denounced the ” fake news from the lobby that threaten our future.
Like our colleagues from the huffpost“ with the European elections of June 2024 approaching, the EPP’s strategy is accused of being “electoral” by supporters of the text, who denounce “falsehoods” and are alarmed by a rapprochement with the far right (ID) and Eurosceptics ( ECR ) “.
” The world is watching us recalled on Tuesday, the day before the vote, the European Commissioner for the Environment, Virginijus Sinkevicius. “If rejected, there would be a problem of credibility on the international scene, explained to Publication last month. The EU acted as a global leader and spoke with one voice at COP15 on biodiversity. Then we can’t go back “. If the text survives the midday vote, 136 amendments will then be examined by MEPs in view of negotiations with the states. The bill could turn out to be very weak.
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Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
