The European Union narrowly approved a controversial Green Deal rewilding law on Monday, drawing criticism from farming groups who fear the bill will further undermine the continent’s ability to feed itself and earn a living.
The vote on rewilding in the EU Council of Ministers in Luxembourg was as “narrow” as possible, as a majority of 20 EU countries, representing 66 percent of the EU’s population, surpassed the required 65 percent supermajority vote to pass the long-delayed Green Deal bill.
The law aims for EU countries to “restore” at least 30 percent of natural habitats to good condition by 2030, and 90 percent by 2050, Euraactive said. Reports.
Farmers, who have staged mass tractor protests against environmental policies backed by Brussels’ elite, warn that the measures will block vast swaths of arable land, endangering farmers’ livelihoods and threatening European food security.
The environment bill was also opposed by Finland, Italy, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden. Austria’s Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler made a last-minute change of course and the bill was approved on Monday.
“This law is crucial in fighting climate change. We need legal certainty for people who use land and soil. We have asked member states to give us the opportunity to consider different aspects of how this law can be implemented,” she said. Said From Euronews.
But Gewessler’s decision to approve the bill has sparked controversy: Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said Gewesler had not consulted the government before the vote and that the climate minister “has no authority to commit” the country to supporting the bill, which could lead to the Austrian government taking legal action to overturn the vote.
French peasant revolt: 9 in 10 support farmers’ protests against globalist government https://t.co/cINXr0IjEx
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LTO is one of the main agricultural organisations in the Netherlands, where the tractor protests against the EU’s green agenda began in earnest in 2019. Said They said they were “concerned and outraged” by the passage of the Rewilding Act.
Dutch farming groups criticised the bill as an additional financial burden on a sector already struggling with tough environmental regulations at both national and EU level, as well as an energy crisis caused by coronavirus lockdowns and Russia’s war with Ukraine.
The LTO also noted that the EU has not outlined specifics on how it will provide financial support to farmers and others, and that the bill gives the EU one year after the law is enacted to finalize subsidies. “This is unacceptable. Financial feasibility and coverage must be made clear before the law comes into force,” it said.
Moreover, they criticized the bill for not accurately assessing costs, arguing that the EU only estimated costs to governments, while the majority of the costs would be passed on to farmers. evaluation According to the Dutch government, green projects in the Netherlands could cost around 76 billion euros by 2050, with farmers bearing the bulk of the cost.
European agricultural group COPA COGECA Added “The lack of clear and consistent funding for ecosystem restoration across the EU remains an unresolved issue, which is part of the reason for the great confusion and rush surrounding this legislation. In this respect, we have missed our only opportunity this morning to make this text actionable and acceptable on the ground.”
The passage of the Green Agenda bill is likely to lead to an increase in tractor protests in Europe. Ahead of EU parliamentary elections in which the Dutch pro-farmer party BBB won seats for the first time, farming groups have vowed to return to their tractors after the autumn harvest if Brussels does not address their concerns.
‘Stop Green Communism’: Farmers protesters storm Brussels, block French borders ahead of EU electionshttps://t.co/MLWub6IeBn
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