Opinion

Ignore the scaremongering. The EU’s Nature Restoration Law can be a tool to empower farmers

Hungary altered its position, citing a negative impact on farming and food security, and left the law in a state of limbo

Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg takes part in a demonstration in favour of the nature restoration law in front of the European Parliament, Strasbourg. Photograph: Frederick Florin/Getty Images

Ciaran Brennan
Tue Apr 9 2024 - 06:00

The butterfly effect — an idea that flapping wings of a butterfly can trigger events on the other side of the world — implies that small actions can lead to big changes, both positive and negative.

Soon, however, there may be fewer butterflies or insects left to flap their wings. Europe’s biodiversity continues to decline at an alarming rate, with most protected habitats and species in a poor state.

One-third of wild bees in Ireland are threatened. The leading driver of their decline is the loss and degradation of farmland habitats including grasslands that are rich in native flowers. The decline of pollinators is very serious, having knock-on effects for the entire ecosystem, food security and human wellbeing.

The law, which enjoyed overwhelming support among European Union citizens, was scrutinised, debated and negotiated to an unprecedented extent by the EU institutions

The Nature Restoration Law was conceived not only to halt the decline in biodiversity, natural habitats, flora and fauna, but to reverse this loss and restore populations of some bird species and pollinators, including butterflies. It aims to bring nature back to the cities, restore our seas and support farmers who volunteer to restore nature on farmland.

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The law, which enjoyed overwhelming support among European Union citizens, was scrutinised, debated and negotiated to an unprecedented extent by the EU institutions. This includes the council (Ministers of the EU’s member states) which had adopted an agreed position in June.

The institutions also reached an agreement in November, which the parliament passed on February 27th in a full vote. The law is a careful and considered compromise, not a victory for any particular side. It contains modest, gradual measures which represent a step in the right direction towards addressing the biodiversity and climate crises.

The Environment Council of Ministers was due to simply sign off on the law on Monday, March 25th. This is normally a straightforward formality in EU legislative proceedings.

Bizarrely however, the council was now not able to produce a majority, with one member state, Hungary, changing its position, citing a negative impact on farming and food security in the context of “new developments” — meaning that now just 64.05 per cent of the EU’s population is represented in the majority. The law is now in a state of limbo. Several member states abstained and others have been objecting to it, but it was Hungary’s change of position that brought the population number below the 65 per cent threshold needed for it to pass.

The failure to adopt the law will have significant negative effects, not only for nature but for the institutions of the European Union and its reputation as a jurisdiction that forms consistent, progressive legislation in line with its own and global commitments.

The behaviour of the council on the law, combined with other recently adopted measures such as the weakening of environmental conditionality within the Common Agricultural Policy with a lack of consultation and impact assessment, affects the authority of the EU’s democratic institutions, the bloc’s legislative process and its credibility on the international stage.

The omens are not good for how the EU conducts its business and the disappointing actions concerning the law could have unintended consequences for democracy

The EU asserts itself as a global leader on the environment but now its moral authority to speak about transparency and democracy, as well as on issues concerning climate change and biodiversity loss has been severely weakened.

As the law’s rapporteur, César Luena said on Twitte/X, failing to pass this law now will undermine the EU’s international credibility in all UN climate and biodiversity conferences. He also said that if we do not respect institutional agreements and negotiations, we will enter an unknown path.

The omens are not good for how the EU conducts its business and the disappointing actions concerning the law could have unintended consequences for democracy. Nor are the omens good for the environment.

The law can be a vital, foundational tool to empower farmers and fishers to lead society’s response to ecosystem collapse and climate breakdown

And what will this failure at the EU institutional level mean for nature, biodiversity and the environment? Nature is on its knees and all over Europe farmers are already suffering the negative effects of climate change. Failure to act now will lead to irreversible breakdowns in vital ecosystems and a worsening climate crisis. We are calling for the Belgian presidency to work to progress the law to completion before June.

Despite the scaremongering, the law can be a vital, foundational tool to empower farmers and fishers to lead society’s response to ecosystem collapse and climate breakdown; without it, farmers and fishers will be left stranded on the front line. Nature is what our society and economy are built upon; pollinators, such as bees and butterflies, are essential for ecosystem functioning and food security.

When they are wiped out and their wings stop flapping, we will feel the effects worldwide. Aiding and abetting the destruction of nature threatens all of us.

  • Ciarán Brennan is communications officer with the Environmental Pillar, a group of 32 national independent environmental NGOs representing the views of the Irish environmental sector
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