By Kate Abnett
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union agreed on Thursday to pass a fiercely contested law to restore degraded natural ecosystems, salvaging the measures which some lawmakers had campaigned to kill off.
Negotiators from EU countries and the European Parliament agreed the deal late on Thursday evening, the Parliament said in a statement.
The legislation will now be put to the European Parliament and EU countries for final approval – a step that usually waves through pre-agreed deals on new EU laws.
The law would require countries to put in place measures to restore nature, which cover 20% of the EU’s land and sea areas by 2030.
The aim is to reverse the decline of Europe’s natural habitats – 81% of which are classed as being in poor health.
The deal is a compromise struck after months of political campaigning that exposed deep divisions among EU countries and lawmakers over green measures.
During the negotiations, some governments had warned that Europe is pushing too many environmental laws onto industries, while centre-right EU lawmakers had led a campaign to kill off the bill, arguing it would hurt farmers.
But Brussels and some lawmakers have fought to keep the law, arguing strong action is needed to stem the sharp decline in biodiversity across the EU.
(Reporting by Kate Abnett; Editing by Sandra Maler)
