European Union reaches agreement on 'Nature Restoration Law'

Environment ministers from European Union (EU) member states met in Luxembourg ahead of the EU summit scheduled for June 27-28. In a written statement issued by the Council of the EU following the meeting, it was announced that the ministers had reached an agreement on the "Nature Restoration Law" proposed by the European Commission.

The law aims to support biodiversity on 10 percent of agricultural land within EU territory by 2030, with the goal of establishing vegetation for this purpose. The law, which also envisions converting a portion of arable land into forests, gardens, and wetlands, had faced opposition within member states.

It had been argued that if the law were implemented, production would decline, food prices would rise, farmers would face financial hardship, and problems would arise in the global food supply, particularly during times of war.

SUPPORTED BY SCIENTISTS

The law had been the subject of intense debate, particularly in Austria and Slovakia. However, parties such as the United Nations Environment Programme, scientists, and the renewable energy industry had supported the legislative proposal.

Proposed in June 2022 as part of the EU's "Green Deal," the law was approved by the European Parliament in February 2024. The law will enter into force in all member states after being published in the Official Journal of the EU.

News Source: 12punto