Nature restoration law edges forward as EU countries agree deal

The European Parliament must find a way to push ahead with the nature restoration law, Minister of State for Heritage Malcolm Noonan has said after European Union national governments agreed a way forward on legislation that has faced severe pushback from lawmakers and farming groups.

Mr Noonan spoke after a qualified majority of European Union national governments agreed a deal on the law, which aims to recover biodiversity loss and forms a central plank of the EU’s plans to address climate change.

Ireland backed a compromise on the law at a meeting of environment ministers in Luxembourg on Tuesday that opens the way for the legislation to progress to the next stage of talks.

“I believe that the text agreed today is a positive, ambitious and balanced one that will bring significant benefits for nature and people right across Ireland,” Mr Noonan said.

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He noted that stakeholders including the European Central Bank, multinational corporations, wind energy groups, hunters and more than 3,000 scientists had come out in support of the law.

“Most importantly, our citizens want this – both in Europe and at home. Now, it’s on the shoulders of our colleagues in the European Parliament to find a constructive and positive way forward,” he said.

The vote was tight, with the Netherlands, Austria and Belgium abstaining, while Poland, Finland, Sweden and Italy voted against the law, according to officials.

This deal now forms the common position of member states in the next stage of the negotiations on the legislation between the EU institutions.

[ Irish political parties accused of misrepresenting EU nature restoration law ]

The changes backed by the member states include altering the law to give countries more flexibility in how to achieve the targets of putting in place nature recovery measures across at least 20 per cent of the EU’s land and sea areas by 2030.

The development of renewable energy and defence projects would also be exempt from requirements to show that no less damaging alternatives are available, as they would be “presumed to have an overriding public interest” under the deal.

European Commission vice-president Frans Timmermans, who leads work on the EU’s proposed Green Deal legislation designed to curb emissions and meet the continent’s international commitments, said in advance of the meeting that it was “touch and go” whether the nature restoration law could be finalised before his term ends next year.

“It makes me really sad that some are trying to draw climate policy into the culture wars. Because then you create sort of a tribal opposition. And once you get into a tribal opposition facts don’t matter any more,” he told reporters in advance of the ministers’ meeting.

“The climate crisis transcends political differences... if it is now drawn into the cultural wars, then it risks paralysing us at a time when the last thing we can afford is paralysis.”

Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and Green Party leader Eamon Ryan said he believed the nature restoration law would benefit agriculture.

“Restoring nature will be good for farming. It won’t work if it isn’t,” Mr Ryan told reporters.

“This has to be voluntary. No one’s going to be forced to take part in the restoration. People will have to get paid for the nature-based services and solutions.”