In a suspenseful vote, the European Union’s parliament has approved a comprehensive plan to safeguard nature and combat climate change. This crucial vote had major implications for the bloc’s global environmental standing. Despite significant resistance, the legislature supported the general framework of the European Commission’s bill with a narrow vote of 324-312, with 12 abstentions.
The approved plan is a critical component of the EU’s ambitious European Green Deal, which aims to establish the most ambitious climate and biodiversity targets globally. The EU aims to cover at least 20% of its land and sea areas with binding restoration targets for specific habitats and species by 2030.
“This vote represents a significant milestone in our commitment to realizing the Green Deal,” stated MEP Mohammed Chahim of the socialist group.
Despite hard opposition from the European People’s Party, the largest group in the legislature, the plan survived the highly anticipated vote. This opposition highlights the fundamental struggle within Europe regarding how to address climate issues. While Europe faces increasing droughts, floods, and heatwaves, the EPP prioritized economic competitiveness and paused environmental action for the next five years.
Conservatives, including the EPP and the hard-right, claimed that the plan would jeopardize food security, increase inflation, and harm farmers. However, thousands of scientists and multinational companies argued for the implementation of the proposed plans.
“The disinformation campaign and attempts to derail the Nature Restoration Law from the EPP leadership and their far-right friends have failed,” said Greens leader Terry Reintke. “Now is the time to roll up our sleeves and return to constructive and consensus-based politics.”
In addition to the overall vote, legislators voted on over 100 amendments to enhance the plan’s flexibility. The approved amendments will be taken into consideration during negotiations with member states, a process that will take several months before final approval of the law.
The European Commission considers the nature restoration law to be a crucial element of the Green Deal, as its success is essential to achieving the deal’s maximum impact. Failure to implement the law would indicate fatigue regarding climate issues within the EU.
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