Nature Restoration Law: final approval delayed

The final go-ahead regarding the Nature Restoration Act has been postponed until a later date. The topic will not be discussed as planned at the next Environment Council, due to the lack of a broad consensus. The absence of sufficient support for the agreement, which was previously established with the Eurochamber, led the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union to remove the topic from the agenda of the meeting of representatives at the Coreper. Moreover, the topic will not be included in the agenda of the upcoming EU Environment Council meeting scheduled for Monday 25 March.

To enter into force, the proposal must be supported by at least 55% of the EU countries, representing 65% of the bloc's population. This requirement was unfortunately not met due to the decision of Hungary, which withdrew support for the proposal. The Netherlands, Italy, Sweden and Poland also opposed it, while Austria, Finland and Belgium abstained. Belgium, the current holder of the Council Presidency, will try to facilitate consensus among the member states. A crucial element in determining whether the proposal will become law of the European Union or not.

The new text of the Nature Restoration Act had been approved by the EU on 27 February. The Environment Council vote scheduled for Monday 25 March was therefore supposed to be a mere formality. Despite the broad consensus of citizens, the European Parliament, the scientific community, a large number of companies, and 19 member states, the future of the Nature Restoration Law was again put at risk by Hungary's last-minute change of position, as reported by Euronews. Urgent action is therefore needed to unblock the situation of the Nature Restoration Law, a key pillar of the European Green Deal.

In line with its commitment to environmental protection, 3Bee has always supported the Nature Restoration Law. Last June, on the occasion of the first vote, our CEO Niccolò Calandri said: 'Voting against this law means turning our backs on the ongoing fight against climate change. It means tacitly justifying the devastating effects of the floods and their victims. Voting against the Nature Restoration Law is a vote for the drought and water crisis that are affecting our continent today. 3Bee is the first company in the industry active in protecting biodiversity in line with the Nature Restoration Law. Whether the law is passed or not, we will continue to do just that". On the occasion of the failure to pass the Nature Restoration Law, we reaffirm this thought again, in line with 3Bee's three main pillars: monitoring, regeneration, disclosure in the context of biodiversity.