Nature Restoration Law

After the Council of the European Union agreed on a revised proposal in June 2023, the trilogue negotiations between the commission, Council and EU Parliament began. On 12 July, after many debates, the Parliament voted in favor. An agreement on a compromise was reached by the European Parliament and the Council on 9 November 2023. The EU Parliament voted in favor of the final draft law on 27 February 2024. After Austria controversially announced its approval, the vote took place in the Council on 17 June 2024, and the law was adopted. Gewessler had previously been unable to support the law due to unanimous opposition from Austria's nine states, but Vienna and Carinthia withdrew opposition following changes to the proposed law without explicitly shifting the unanimous stance. With the law's passage in the Council, it will come into force 20 days after publication in the Official Journal of the EU. The final text reduced requirements for the farming sector. The individual political groups in the European Parliament voted like so: == Reception ==

The regulation was endorsed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, scientists, who wrote an open letter in support that addressed critics' arguments, and the European Academies Science Advisory Council among others. Two organizations that represent the farming and fisheries sectors have criticized the policy as an unimplementable legislation in 2023 that endangers farmers' and fishers' livelihoods. In July 2023, European People's Party (EPP) leader Manfred Weber tried to block the Nature Restoration Law, saying it would destroy farmers' livelihoods and threaten food security. In October 2024, the European Ombudsman attested maladministration in the EU Commission's Directorate-General for Environment. Previously, the DG refused to disclose documents containing information in the lobbying activities of environmentalist NGOs during the draft of the Nature Restoration Law. == See also ==