Next Monday (June 17) is a potential make-or-break day for the contentious Nature Restoration Law, with EU environment ministers to hold crunch talks that may result in its final adoption and ratification.
Following the ratification of the law by the European Parliament in February, it had been expected that the Council of the EU would follow suit in March, which would have been the final green light.
However, some member states withdrew support for the law at the last minute, meaning it would not reach the required qualified majority, resulting in the planned vote on March 25 being indefinitely postponed (in a qualified majority, 15, or in some case 20, member states have to be in agreement, and those countries have to account for 65% of the EU’s population).
The law has been in limbo ever since, with no further votes scheduled. However, this might all change on Monday.
The law has been included on the agenda of the Council of EU environment ministers meeting as a topic for discussion, and Agriland understands that, while a vote has not been scheduled at this point, the ministers may decide there and then, based on the mood of their discussion, to take a vote.
A meeting of member state representatives (administrate rather than ministerial or political representatives) met today (Friday, June 14) to prepare the work of Monday’s council meeting.
Sources said that this meeting found that there is still no qualified majority for the adoption of the Nature Restoration Law.
For that reason, the Nature Restoration Law agenda item for the meeting was downgraded to a discussion item.
However, it was agreed that, although holding a vote on its adoption is not legally required, the chairperson of the council (who is the Belgian minister, as Belgium currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU) may decide to hold a vote if it appears from discussions that there is sufficient support for the law to be adopted.
The text of the law sets a target to restore 20% of all EU land by 2030, and all ecosystems that need restoration by 2050. This will include peatlands under agricultural use.
There is a specific target to restore 30% of drained peatlands under agricultural use by 2030, 40% by 2040 and 50% by 2050.
The law has been universally criticised by farm organisations and politicians with rural and farmer-based platforms, who claim it will take land out of production, impact farm payments, and add to the already heavy regulatory burden on farmers.
Environmental groups and ‘green’ politicians in Ireland and Europe, on the other hand, wholeheartedly support the law, claiming that it is necessary to reverse biodiversity loss and meet climate change mitigation targets.
The Irish government has continuously supported the law, with Green Party leader and Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications Eamon Ryan, and his party colleague and Minister of State Malcolm Noonan, recently writing to environment ministers in other member states to call on them to adopt the law at Monday’s meeting.