The EU Council adopts the Nature Restoration Law:Austria breaks the deadlock, Italy votes against

The vote of the Environment Ministers, meeting today in Brussels, puts an end to the troubled legislative process of the most divisive law of the Green Deal

The approval process of Nature Restoration Act, one of the symbolic measures of the European green agenda, has reached the final goal.Today, Monday 17 June, the EU Council adopted the regulation, putting an end to a stalemate of over two months.Austria's vote was decisive, as with a last-minute change of heart it joined the bloc of countries in favor of the measure.The Italian government, with the Minister of the Environment, voted against the adoption Gilberto Pichetto who had already criticized the Nature restoration law and he said he was worried about the possible impact on the agricultural sector.Deputy Minister Vannia Gava was present at the Council today and explained Italy's vote against as follows:«Although improvements have been introduced, the final agreement remains unsatisfactory for us.We cannot accept an increase in the economic and administrative burdens for the agricultural sector."

The negotiations, the approval and the stalemate

Today's vote in the Council passed thanks to the favorable vote of 20 countries.Italy, Hungary, Poland, the Netherlands, Finland and Sweden voted against the measure, while Belgium abstained.THE'understanding between Parliament, Commission and EU Council on the nature restoration law was reached in November 2023.A few months later, in February 2024, the European Chamber has approved the provision definitively and it was expected that the Council would do the same.Hungary's rethinking Viktor Orbán he created one instead stall in the European institutions, with the Belgian presidency finding itself without a majority capable of passing the regulation.The European elections contributed to slowing down the discussion further, with some countries fearing a political backlash ahead of the election.Today's EU Council unblocked the situation in the last useful summit of the Environment Ministers before the handover of the rotating presidency from Belgium to Hungary.

What does the Nature restoration law

The peculiarity of Nature restoration law lies in the fact that it is a measure that aims not only to protect natural areas at risk, but also to restore those already degraded.According to European Commission estimates, today 80% of European habitats are in a degraded condition.Under the regulation adopted today by the Council, EU countries will have to restore at least 20% of marine and terrestrial areas by 2030, 60% by 2040 and 90% by mid-century.According to Brussels, achieving these objectives will lead to not only environmental but also economic benefits.In fact, the estimates of the community executive say that every euro invested in the restoration of ecosystems will translate into at least 8 euros earned.The EU executive will monitor effective compliance with the regulation, and the Council has also asked it to present - within one year after the entry into force of the provision - a report including the economic resources available at community level to finance all required interventions.

A signal for the future of the Green Deal?

Today's green light from the European institutions represents an important victory for supporters of the Green Deal, the package of environmental and climate measures through which the European Union aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.There Nature Restoration Law it represents one of the pillars of this green agenda, but at the same time it is one of the most divisive measures."We are still on track to reverse the loss of biodiversity, let's start working together now and show that the EU is still at the forefront", exulted Virginius Sinkevicius, European Commissioner for the Environment, after today's vote in the Council."Far from the caricatures with which it has been described, this law will allow us to be stronger in the face of the impacts of climate change", echoed Pascal Canfin, head of the Environment Commission of the European Parliament.

The Austrian government in chaos

Meanwhile, the EU Council's green light for the Nature Restoration Law sent the Austrian government into a tailspin, whose favorable vote was decisive for the adoption of the measure.Chancellor Karl Nehmanner has announced that he will bring an annulment action before the European Court of Justice.The reason?The vote of the Minister of the Environment, Leonore Gewessler (a member of the Greens within the coalition), goes against the will of the executive.According to the Austrian People's Party, the minister acted "illegally" and the vote should therefore be annulled.In all likelihood, the appeal presented by Austria would not go far.The vote expressed by the Council is legally binding and several Brussels sources make it clear that there can be no reversal with respect to the outcome of today's vote.