In open defiance of farmer protests throughout Europe, the European Parliament approved the so-called Nature Restoration Law on Feb. 27. The law, which the farmers have mobilized against as one of the pillars of the EU policy that forces them to not produce, was voted up 329-275. Although the law was approved, the numbers show that there was strong opposition, and especially that the “Ursula majority,” the left-liberal-conservative coalition that elected Ursula von der Leyen to head the EU Commission, has disintegrated.
Actually, European People’s Party Group Chairman Manfred Weber (Germany-CDU) had been confident that he would get enough votes to defeat the law. He was relying on a paper majority composed by liberals, conservative and rightwing factions. However, many liberals voted for the bill, and as did the Irish conservatives. Since the liberal Renew group is led by Macron’s party, Weber’s spokesman Dirk Gotink said: “If the French President is really serious about his concerns for farmers, he should call on his MEPs in Renew to do the same.”
The law calls for restoring at least 30% of habitats (from forests, grasslands and wetlands to rivers, lakes and coral beds) from a “poor” to a “good” condition by 2030, increasing to 60% by 2040, and 90% by 2050. A “habitat” is defined by a list of animal and vegetable species which the EU regularly expands. Thus, ID Group member Marco Campomenosi tweeted: “What a great title for a legislative text: “Nature Restoration”! Yet, behind these sweet and persuasive words, lies yet another blow for our agricultural and fishing world.”
