The European Parliament has voted to approve a European Commission proposal aimed at repairing natural habitats that are in poor condition.

MEPs backed the parliament’s position by 336 votes to 300, while a vote to reject the commission’s proposal was defeated.

There had been opposition to the plan from the largest group in the parliament, the European People's Party, which told its MEPs to reject the Nature Restoration Law.

Malcolm Noonan (Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform) welcomed the vote, describing it as “an important step forward”

Postponement option

The parliament will now start negotiations with the EU Council on the final shape of the legislation.

The European Parliament’s position is that the law “shall only apply when the commission has provided data on the necessary conditions to guarantee long-term food security, and when EU countries have quantified the area that needs to be restored to reach the restoration targets for each habitat type”.

MEPs’ proposals also include the option of postponing the targets “under exceptional socio-economic consequences”.

The parliament also wants the commission to assess, within 12 months of the plan coming into effect, any gap between the costs of restoration and available EU funding.

A proposal on rewetting was removed from the final text agreed by the parliament.

Targets

The commission has described its proposed law as “a key step” in avoiding the collapse of eco-systems, and preventing the worst impacts of climate change.

It is aimed at repairing the 80% of European habitats that are in poor condition, and bringing back nature to all eco-systems.

Under the proposal, legally binding targets for nature restoration in different ecosystems would apply to all member states, who must also draw up national plans for restoration.

Support

Minister Noonan acknowledged that some communities would be concerned by the news, but added that nature restoration could be delivered only with the full support of the farming, forestry and fishing communities.

“This support is something that, with the help of colleagues across Government, I intend to earn,” he stated.

“My objective now is to find the common ground between the farmers, foresters, fishers, NGOs, businesses, scientists and the public to develop a National Restoration Plan that will benefit people and nature in Ireland,” the minister said, pledging a “broad and deep” public participation process.