Political groups in the European Parliament are preparing their final push on the embattled EU Nature Restoration Law ahead of a decisive vote on Wednesday (12 July), with the right doubling down on its opposition and supporters attempting to win more votes.

The draft law, which aims to improve the conservation status of habitats across the bloc, has faced fierce opposition from right-wing lawmakers, particularly the European People’s Party (EPP).

So far, the law has been rejected by three parliamentary committees and, on Wednesday (12 July), the whole European Parliament will vote on it, beginning with another rejection vote that could be the law’s death knell.

Whether it is rejected or not is in the hands of a few MEPs, with Mohammed Chahim, the Socialist and Democrat’s Vice-President of the Green Deal, predicting it will survive by a slim majority.

“I really hope that we win next week. I think we have the numbers but of course, you never know what happens at the plenary,” he told journalists.

The outcome will likely depend on centrist Renew Europe lawmakers, who could go against their group’s position and reject the law, and dissenter EPP lawmakers, who could break rank and not vote against it.

“It will be very tight,” Renew Europe lawmaker and environment committee chair Pascal Canfin told EURACTIV.

Using Council position to boost support

In a move supposedly aimed at winning the support of EPP lawmakers and some from their own camp, Renew Europe has decided to table the text agreed by EU countries in June as suggested amendments.

“Renew supports the Nature Restoration Law and wants to vote in favour of it during next week’s plenary session,” said Renew lawmakers Canfin and Nils Torvalds in a joint press release about the plan.

“In view of the deadlock after the last result obtained in the ENVI committee, we want to be part of the solution to this problem,” they added.

EU countries had concerns about the Commission proposal, including whether they had enough flexibility and finance to implement the law and how it could clash with other sectors of society.

These concerns have also been raised by the EPP. But the key difference is that EU countries amended the text to alleviate their concerns while the EPP wants to reject the entire proposal.

The Socialists and Democrats lawmaker leading negotiations on the law told journalists it was a good decision to table this text as an amendment “because some governments of Liberals [Renew] but also EPP were in this negotiation and supported this position”.

“If we are speaking really about nature, this is a solution for some members of the Liberals and for EPP – this is clear. If we are not speaking about nature and we are speaking about the European election [next year], this is another thing,” said César Luena, echoing criticisms that the EPP’s approach is politically motivated.

Luena’s group have also tabled amendments based on compromises made in the environment committee. They hope these could help swing the vote as four groups (the Greens, the Socialists and Democrats, the Left and Renew Europe) signed up to them and the EPP helped negotiate them.

However, the EPP says it is still adamantly against the law.

“The EPP remains confident about rejecting the law in plenary and is united,” a spokesperson from the group told EURACTIV.

Despite this, some are looking to EPP dissenters to at least abstain on the rejection vote and question how united the group really is.

For instance, Canfin has questioned why so many EPP lawmakers were substituted during the environment committee vote, something EPP lawmaker Peter Liese dismissed as ensuring the group had backups in case someone could not make it.

Trainees call on lawmakers to support the law

Meanwhile, in a rare move, 84 trainees working in the European Parliament have called on MEPs to support the legislation in a letter seen by EURACTIV.

The trainees, some of whom signed the letter under the condition of anonymity in case of repercussions, said they watched with “extreme sadness” as the Nature Restoration Law was rejected by the environment committee in June.

“It is distressing, to say the least, to see people who are responsible for our future care so little about it,” the letter reads.

“We know that many of you are making political decision. Nevertheless, the time for considering climate change a ‘political’ issue has run out. Scientists are banging at our doors, reminding us about the urgency of the climate crisis. And yet, you are choosing to vote against regulations which may provide our generation and planet earth with at least a chance for a brighter future,” the letter continues.

Lawmakers will debate the law on Tuesday (11 July) and then vote the day after. If the law survives the rejection, they will vote on amendments to the text. If it is rejected, it is unlikely to be passed within this parliamentary term.

[Edited by Benjamin Fox/Nathalie Weatherald]

Source: Euractiv.com