EU, law on nature restoration approved:the most contested pillar of the Green Deal holds up against farmers' protests

Today's vote in Strasbourg was considered a test of strength of the European green agenda ahead of the June elections

From Strasbourg – The European Parliament's green light for the proposal was welcomed with long, almost liberating applause Nature Restoration Law, one of the most ambitious but also most contested pillars of the Green Deal.The new text of the law on nature restoration, the result of a compromise reached in recent months between the various European institutions, it managed to gather enough votes to obtain the green light from the European Chamber, which thus puts in the safe another provision symbolizing that green strategy which has become one of the most heatedly debated topics in view of the European elections of June.Today's vote on Nature Restoration Law it was considered by many observers to be an important clue to the game of alliances that will begin the day after the vote.The popular ones – and with them Ursula von der Leyen – will they look for a right wing or will they remain faithful to that “Ursula majority” which has made the Green Deal one of its main political legacies?Today's vote does not offer definitive answers, but perhaps some clues do.The measure passed with 329 in favor, 275 against, 24 abstentions.Among those in favor there are also some EPP MEPs who have chosen to join centrists, leftists and greens in approving the new regulation.

The 2050 objectives, the economic benefits and the "emergency brake"

The need to approve a law on nature restoration starts from a simple fact:80% of European habitats, according to Brussels estimates, are in a degraded condition.The objective of the new provision, as new as it is ambitious, involves not only protecting the natural areas most at risk, but also restoring some of the already degraded areas.By 2030, EU countries will have to restore at least 20% of marine and terrestrial areas, 60% by 2040 and 90% by mid-century.According to the European Commission, achieving these objectives will lead to both environmental and economic benefits, at least in the long term.In fact, Brussels estimates say that every euro invested in restoring 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.The final text of the regulation approved today finally provides for an "emergency brake", which will allow some objectives to be postponed in the event of fears related to food safety.

The impact on agriculture

The following factors also contributed to fueling some doubts as to whether the European Parliament could definitively approve the measure tractor protests, which yesterday made themselves heard again in Brussels, on the occasion of the EU Council of Agriculture Ministers.The law on nature restoration in fact contains some provisions highly criticized by the agricultural sector.In particular, the provision asks member countries to achieve a positive trend in at least two of the following indicators by the end of 2030:the so-called 'grassland butterfly index', the share of highly biodiverse agricultural land and the carbon stock in cultivated mineral soil.These areas, explains the Commission, represent the most cost-effective way to reduce emissions from the agricultural sector, which is responsible for approximately 11% of greenhouse gas emissions in the entire European Union.

Cover photo:UNSPLASH/Ally Griffin