Not only was Mathilde Androuët’s (PfE, French) objection to the implementing act for the national plans of the regulation on nature restoration rejected by 58 votes to 19 with 3 abstentions in Parliament’s Environment Committee, but it was completely picked apart by the other political groups, on Tuesday 8 April.
The French MEP deplored the “rigidity” of the implementing act. In her view, the regulation on nature restoration (see EUROPE 13433/2) “does not respect the fundamental principles of European law”, because it runs counter to “Articles 39 and 191, which require environmental objectives to be reconciled with the preservation of economic competitiveness and food safety”.
Christine Schneider (EPP, German), Emma Fourreau (The Left, French) and Lena Schilling (Greens/EFA, Austrian) respectively described her arguments as “not entirely correct”, “audacious to say the least” and “a populist manoeuvre”.
Christine Schneider pointed out that increased safety is already included in Article 1 of the regulation, and that incentives have been included for the irrigation of peat bogs. Rather than working on the issue, the Patriots for Europe would rather “shine a spotlight on themselves”, criticised the German MEP, who felt that they had reacted “two and a half years too late”.
In addition, Jutta Paulus (Greens/EFA) pointed out that the national plan implementation form criticised by Mathilde Androuët had been “drawn up with the Member States”. “And of course there is sufficient flexibility, otherwise the Member States would never have accepted” the implementing act, said the Green MEP.
The European Commission’s Director General for Biodiversity, Humberto Delgado Rosa, was invited to Parliament where he explained that the implementing regulation had been adopted “virtually unanimously”, with just one abstention. The regulation is based on the principle of subsidiarity and “allows full flexibility to the national authorities, who must identify the measures to be implemented”. (Original version in French by Florent Servia)