After months of setbacks and difficult negotiations between the EU Council and the European Parliament, environment ministers voted today in Luxembourg to pass the Nature Restoration Law.
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00:00The law on nature restoration has been adopted by the European Union after months of negotiations.
00:12Meeting in Luxembourg on Monday, the environment ministers reached a qualified majority.
00:18The law aims to restore at least 20 percent of the bloc's land and sea areas by 2030.
00:25This is a relief for environmental organizations.
00:29It is historic because it will really set legally binding targets for member states
00:34to start restoring many degraded ecosystems from forests to freshwater ecosystems, to
00:42restore nature in cities, to restore pollinators, so it's really very important.
00:49The adoption, however, has caused a political stir.
00:52All eyes are on Vienna, which has shifted the balance of power between the capitals.
00:57Austria's ecologist climate minister has validated the law, making it possible to
01:01obtain a qualified majority, a decision that runs counter to the line taken by the Austrian
01:06chancellor.
01:08The head of the government, who comes from the center-right, said that his country intended
01:12to abstain, a choice ultimately rejected by the minister.
01:20I know I will face opposition in Austria on this, but I'm convinced that this is the time
01:25to adopt this law.
01:32The vote puts an end to a long campaign of political contestation, led mainly by the
01:37EPP.
01:38It's not even a debate about nature reservation anymore.
01:43In the long term, the law aims to restore all ecosystems in need by 2050.
02:07The member states will now have to submit their national plans for implementing these
02:10commitments to the European Commission.