Nature Restoration Law News – Environment Committee Edging Towards Deal as EPP walks out

May 31, 2023 ARC Latest from Brussels, Main stories, Recent updates

Oonagh Duggan of Birdwatch Ireland (member of Birdlife Europe and Central Asia) at the Nature Restoration Law event outside the Irish Parliament on 31/05/23. " The Nature Restoration Law is a once in a lifetime opportunity to turn this around...our amazing farmers give us the most hope"..."we might loose this nature restoration law in the next two weeks. We need politicians to help us back nature. — Oonagh Duggan of Birdwatch Ireland (member of Birdlife Europe and Central Asia) at the Nature Restoration Law event outside the Irish Parliament on 31/05/23. ” The Nature Restoration Law is a once in a lifetime opportunity to turn this around…our amazing farmers give us the most hope”…”we might loose this nature restoration law in the next two weeks. We need politicians to help us back nature.

The main groups in the Environmental Committee have reached an agreement text on the Nature Restoration Law late this evening. “This evening the ENVI shadow rapporteurs of the Nature Restoration Law arrived at a package deal, which will be brought to the vote in the ENVI committee on 15th June” a short joint statement reads.

While the EPP group walked out, excluding itself from the process, “the negotiators from the other groups continued to reach for a compromise and have landed on a common text”.

This statement comes from S&D, Renew, Greens/EFA and the Left groups, and emphasises that work continues. Even ECR and ID remained for the negotiations today, though they are unlikely to support a final agreement. This however further isolates EPP.

It is not the case that all MEPs are necessarily fully on board yet, with four MEPs not in the groups that made the joint statement. The ENVI vote on the 15th June is still too close to call, but it is now much tighter than it appeared just a few short days ago.

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At the start of this meeting today, the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) withdrew from the political process on the Nature Restoration Law (NRL) altogether. The group released a statement today, blaming the context of the war in Ukraine, claiming that “the proposal was bad in the first place and our concerns remain unanswered“. However, late this evening (31/05/23) it appears a deal may be in the offing.

However there is still work to be done to convince 45 or more MEPs, including the four non-aligned MEPs, to vote against the rejection amendment, to support compromise amendments and support the final vote. Then the file can progress.

Nature Restoration in Ireland – Parliament and Protest

In Ireland, a protest and parliamentary debate was held today (31st) on the NRL, in light on ongoing controversies over in particular rewetting. ARC’s Oliver Moore revealed the EPP walkout early at this event (see video in thread below)

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The Dáil (Parliamentary) debate itself was initially quite factual, with the Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue dispelling myths in a quite even-handed way.

Watch it here:

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However as the minutes and then hours rolled on, the entire debate eventually descended into chaos. A group of rural populist elected representatives engaged in an animated conversation with a minister, which resulted in the dissolution of the debate itself. In truth, it was probably drawing to a close by then. (you can watch the chaos here and here)

How will Environment Committee vote on Nature Restoration Law?

CAP, Interrupted – So Withdraw the CAP!

December 3, 2020 Oliver Moore Latest from Brussels, Main stories, Recent updates

As trilogues to decide the future of CAP progress behind closed doors, the business-as-usual lobby is fighting its corner with some level of exacerbation. They are annoyed with the Commission, with the scientific community, and with young people in the decision-making corridors. Fridays for Future and a host of civil society stakeholders want the Commission to Withdraw the CAP, and the case for doing just this is mounting, as the chasm between the European Green Deal and CAP widens. […]

CAP Budget Agreed for Next Seven Years

July 22, 2020 Oliver Moore Latest from Brussels, Main stories, Recent updates

After almost five days of intense meetings, EU Leaders agreed on a seven year budget and recovery package yesterday. This includes the MFF (multiannual financial framework, or typical EU budget) of E1.07 Trillion, plus a specific pandemic recovery package of E750 billion, split almost evenly between grants (E390bn) and loans (E360bn). How is CAP impacted? […]

Biofuels vote includes Indirect Land Use Change

September 13, 2013 ARC Latest from Brussels, Main stories, Recent updates

The European Parliament (EP) voted Wednesday to include what is called Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC) considerations in its biofuels targets. What effect will this have on the EU’s renewable energy, climate change and also on land use? This European Parliament vote means that the real climate impact, due to displacement of food production, will be taken into account in the EU’s biofuel targets and policies. A cap of 6% on land-based biofuels, including energy crops, has been adopted. According to Terhi Lehtonen environment advisor Greens/EFA group: “This would be the minimum necessary to take real measures to tackle the climate, food security and other social impacts due to displacement of food production that is caused by EU biofuels policy.” Lehtonen adds: “The EP vote also signalled to the markets that future investments should be on biofuels with low-ILUC risk and no food based fuels should be supported after 2020.” How did the vote go? See votewatch here Background Biofuels are liquid fuels made mostly from crops which can be mixed with fossil fuels to […]