Brussels vote cancelled after it became clear law would not pass final stage with majority vote
The EU’s nature restoration laws appear on the verge of collapse after eight member states, including Hungary and Italy, withdrew support for the legislation.
The laws, which have been two years in the making and are designed to reverse decades of damage to wildlife on land and in waterways, were supposed to be rubber-stamped in a vote on Monday.
But instead the vote was shelved after it became apparent the legislation would not pass its final stage with the majority required. Sources say there was “just 1%” between those who would support it and those who would not, either by abstaining or voting against.
The European environment commissioner warned that shelving the bill indefinitely would destroy the EU’s reputation globally given it had led the way at the Cop15 biodiversity summit in Montreal in 2022.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
The laws, which have been two years in the making and are designed to reverse decades of damage to wildlife on land and in waterways, were supposed to be rubber-stamped in a vote on Monday.
The European environment commissioner warned that shelving the bill indefinitely would destroy the EU’s reputation globally given it had led the way at the Cop15 biodiversity summit in Montreal in 2022.
The setback is the latest and arguably biggest blow to the EU’s environmental agenda in recent months, as policymakers decide how to respond to farmers’ protests across the bloc.
On Monday Spain’s environment minister, Teresa Ribera, urged critics of the bill to back it, saying the EU “cannot afford” to abandon its green ambitions.
Alain Maron, the climate transition minister of Belgium, which acts as the “honest broker” in negotiations as holder of the rotating EU presidency, told reporters: “We don’t know exactly what reasons certain countries have to be against this law.
EU leaders have tried to assuage farmers’ concerns, announcing delays on rules for unused land as well as supply chain support to fight exploitation by supermarkets seeking to keep down costs for consumers.
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