A proposed EU law to rewild natural habitats risks undermining efforts to build wind farms and other renewable projects as the bloc struggles to reconcile cutting carbon emissions with restoring the biodiversity.
Several governments have called for changes to the nature restoration bill, which obliges EU members to reverse environmental damage. They want to make sure the bill doesn’t hamper offshore wind farms and other renewable energy infrastructure, or impede economic development.
The law calls on countries to take “restoration measures” for marine habitats in poor condition that would encompass 90% of them by 2050. It also requires them to “fully restore habitats” in other areas of 2050.
Measures to restore the seabed and land include re-wetting peatlands in Ireland and the Baltic States, and planting trees and hedgerows on farmland, reducing the amount of land available for production.
The centre-right European People’s Party, the largest group in parliament, wants the law scrapped altogether.
Esther de Lange, environmental policy coordinator for the EPP, along with several MEPs from the liberal Renew group, tabled an amendment asking the committee to withdraw the bill.
“It’s the first time I’ve done this in 16 years in parliament,” she told the Financial Times.
“The commission went way beyond that. This increases the number of areas covered too much. It’s going to be extremely difficult to build renewable energy projects and infrastructure. Climate and industrial policy must go hand in hand, otherwise the jobs will go to China. »
Some EU states say the rules need to be adjusted to account for the race to decarbonise, which has been accelerated by the need to ditch Russian fossil fuels following the invasion of Ukraine.
Since its launch last June, the EU has increased its binding target for renewables to reach 42.5% of supply by 2030, almost doubling the existing share.
Only last year the EU agreed on a strategy that would oblige member states to appoint “must see areas” for renewable energy projects with lighter scheduling controls.
Denmark has warned that the new law will threaten the development of wind farms in the North Sea, where big plans are underway to create a network of turbines connected to the UK and other countries.
Germany said it was essential that turbine arrays did not overlap restoration areas under mandatory plans, which would make development impossible.
But the German environment ministry said: “Smart planning will avoid conflicts through the national restoration plan as set out in the EU Nature Restoration Regulation.”
Others fear having to pay compensation to Farmers unable to use the land. “If you reclaim a bog that has been drained and used, who pays the farmer for their loss?” asked an EU diplomat.
Some countries are also concerned about the principle of “non-deterioration”, according to which restored habitats cannot be damaged in the future. Ingrid Thijssen, chair of Dutch business organization VNO-NCW, said it would ignore other public priorities, such as housing, infrastructure, food production or investment in renewable energy.
“The one-size-fits-all approach is not suitable for such a fundamental policy,” she added. “It will put a stop to the economy, to the construction of houses and even to the energy transition.”
A commission official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the proposal should not conflict with decarbonization efforts. “Restoration is not protection. Economic activity may still be permitted. Member States have great flexibility in implementation.
“The proposal is not intended to slow down the deployment of renewable energy.”
In Western, Central and Eastern Europe, wetlands have halved since 1970, while 71% of fish populations and 60% of amphibian populations have declined over the past decade.
The aim is to ensure that at least one fifth of the land and sea areas of the EU are covered by nature restoration measures by 2030, and to extend them to all ecosystems in need of restoration. 2050.
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