The Nature Restoration Act, the first rule in the EU’s history that obliges countries to restore nature and not just protect it, comes into force on Sunday after the process was on the verge of derailing.
The legislation faced obstacles in the European Chamber, due to opposition from the European People’s Party, and in the Council, due to a sudden change of position by Hungary. Finally, on the eve of the final vote, Austria moved to the “yes” side, thus allowing countries supporting it to exceed the required percentage for approval.
The European Commission said in a statement that the rule’s entry into force represents “a new advance in efforts to halt the degradation of nature, achieve climate neutrality and enhance Europe’s preparedness and resilience to the impacts of climate change.”
The goal of the legislation, originally proposed in June 2022, is to restore at least 20% of degraded ecosystems by 2030 and all of that by mid-century, including agricultural lands.
Among other points, the regulation sets out obligations to correct pollinator declines, restore 30% of wetlands and peatlands to agricultural use, and not reduce urban green spaces or remove artificial barriers in EU rivers.
The law aims to bring EU legislation into line with the UN’s biodiversity conventions, but the text has become a symbol of the ideological battle surrounding the green agenda in the process.
The resolution was approved with votes in favour of Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Croatia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Austria, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia; votes against of Italy, Hungary, Netherlands, Poland, Finland and Sweden, with Belgium abstaining.
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