The leader of the Green Party Eamon Ryan, and one of his party colleagues, have written to environment ministers in several EU member states to try to secure the adoption of the Nature Restoration Law.
The controversial law was adopted by the European Parliament in February and it was expected the the Council of the EU (council of ministers) would do the same in March, in what would have been the final hurdle for the law to pass before it was enacted.
However, after a number of member states changed their position, no vote took place in the council of environment ministers as it was clear that the required qualified majority for the law to be adopted would not be reached.
The text of the law sets targets to restore 30% of drained peatlands under agricultural use by 2030, 40% by 2040 and 50% by 2050. Drained peatland under agricultural use is just one of the land types on which “restoration measures” will be required.
Following the lack of movement by the council, the law has been in limbo, with no sign yet that there will be any further progress on it this side of the European Parliament elections in June.
However, Ryan – the Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications – has written to his environment counterparts in other member states to call on them to vote for the law at their next meeting on June 17, with Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage Malcolm Noonan also contributing to the letter.
According to a statement on the website of Minister’s Ryan’s department, 10 other countries have endorsed Ireland’s push to get the Nature Restoration Law passed, namely Germany, France, Spain, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Czech Republic; Lithuania, Slovenia, Estonia and Cyprus.
The letter claims that the failure to approve the law would mean “the EU [reneging] on its previous commitment to be a global leader in nature restoration”.
Ministers Ryan and Noonan will now continue courting support from the remaining 16 member states, as well as the European Commission.
It is understood that a range of non-government organisations (NGOs) from around the EU will also come together to campaign for the passage of the law.
Minister Ryan commented: “Restoring ecosystems is essential to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change, and to safeguard European food security”.
Minister Noonan said that a lack of a ‘yes’ vote on the Nature Restoration Law would “seriously undermine efforts across the EU to restore our damaged and degraded ecosystems”.