MEPs in the European Parliament’s environment committee will resume voting on the controversial proposed Nature Restoration Law today (Tuesday, June 27).
During a meeting of the committee on Thursday, June 15, a voting session was postponed until today after it exceeded its allotted session time, faced with a vast amount of amendments to be voted on.
The committee has 88 members. Many of the votes in the committee earlier this month split almost evenly in half, with some amendments being rejected only because the result was tied 44-44, which is deemed to be a ‘no’ result, or rejection of an amendment.
The European People’s Party (EPP) – which has been the most vocal parliament group in criticising the proposed law, and of which Fine Gael is a member – put forward a motion in the June 15 meeting to have the law rejected outright by the committee.
However, like many other votes that day, this motion was defeated only as a result of a tied vote, indicating the level of disagreement on the law, even in a committee that otherwise normally supports legislation based on ‘green’ policy.
Voting on amendments will continue over the coming hours, with more clarity on what the committee will adopt expected later.
Whatever the committee ultimately decides (including any possible decision to reject the law altogether), it will recommend that position to a full (plenary) session of the parliament.
The parliament as a whole will then adopt its position on the law. These positions are usually (but not necessarily) based on the positions adopted by the lead committee on a law proposal, which in this case is the environment committee.
The parliament’s general position will form the basis of its negotiations on the final text of the law with the Council of the EU, which has a position of its own.
Environment ministers of EU member states last week adopted their position on the Nature Restoration Law, which will require the rewetting of some drained peatland in member states.
This position is now the official position of the Council of the EU on the law. It is also the position supported by the Irish government.
Neither the position of the council, nor the position of the parliament (when it adopts one) will form the actual final text of the law, which will be determined by negotiations between the two institutions.