Europe’s centre backs nature protection

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The prevailing wisdom of the past year is that the Green Deal is dead. Climate action may endure, but forget about European-level environmental protection – it is a thing of the past.

But Monday’s approval of the Nature Restoration Law by national environment ministers shows that Europe’s nature protection efforts are far from over.

Attention focused on Austria’s dramatic weekend U-turn, and the bold moves of the country’s environment minister, Leonore Gewessler.

But the action inside the room was more consequential. Centrist governments, one after the other, stepped up to speak in favour of nature protection, declaring their support for the Nature Restoration Law.

Given the knife-edge support for the proposal, it only needed one government to torpedo the deal. But no one did.

In the end, those who abstained or voted against the text almost all had one thing in common – the direct influence of the far right on their governments.

If nature restoration has become politicised, than both the centre right and left backed it. That’s no guarantee for continued European environmental protection zeal, but it’s not a bad place to be.

Perhaps because of the fractious debate of the past two years, biodiversity has taken on a prominence and symbolism that it lacked before. Heavyweights like Spanish Vice President Teresa Ribera know that they can use the topic to burnish their progressive credentials, and as a central component of their political campaigns.

The centre-right may be less enthused by the practicalities and costs of environmental protection, but they will be open to doing deals – we shouldn’t forget that the Nature Restoration Law was watered down to make it politically palatable.

In Monday’s meeting several ministers referenced the importance of cash – EU cash – to finance their country’s nature protection efforts. Other people’s money remains the classic lubricant of the EU deal-making machine.

That does not mean that the outlook is positive for future environmental protection. Politicians will not often be presented with a situation like Monday, where a single ‘yes’ vote will be enough to seal a proposal into EU law.

Future nature protection laws will not pass easily. There will be bruising debates and hard-won compromises. And the environment-sceptic hard and far right is now clearly a structural feature of European politics.

But Monday’s vote showed that left-leaning politicians believe that their voters will reward them for supporting nature. Right-leaning politicians believe that their voters can live with more environmental law –  within reason, and if the price is right.

And this means ample space, for Europe’s centre to reach imperfect but meaningful agreements on more protections for nature.

• Environment Council adopts its position on the Green Claims Directive – By Nathan Canas
• Nature restoration: Austrian conservatives charge Gewessler for abuse of office – By Nikolaus J. Kurmayer
• Knife-edge support for Nature Restoration Law, ahead of crucial Council meeting on Monday morning – By Donagh Cagney
• Today’s Environmental Council – closing off the Green Deal and looking to 2040 – By Donagh Cagney, Nathan Canas and Nikolaus J. Kurmayer
• Leak: Hungarian Presidency’s plans for energy, transport, environment – By Nathan Canas
• Strategic Agenda: EU leaders look to harness green transition to boost industry – By Nikolaus J. Kurmayer
• Industry and government leaders eye renewables as basis for Ukrainian reconstruction – By Nathan Canas
• Experts: France will not submit its national energy and climate plan to Brussels on time – By Paul Messad
• UPDATE: EU-China tensions flare up as Chinese government backlashes against EU tariffs announcement – By Jonathan Packroff
• New report finds corporate cars ‘leading on pollution, lagging on electric’ – By Bárbara Machado

VIENNA. Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP/EPP) opted against dissolving the government after Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens) voted in favour of the EU nature restoration law despite his party’s rejection of the initiative. Read more.

BELGRADE. Despite protests, Serbia readies to mine lithium as early as 2028. President Aleksandar Vučić said Serbia could exploit lithium as early as 2028 following new guarantees from Australian mining giant Rio Tinto and the EU over the controversial project, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. Read more.

Swedes say ‘nej’ to power link with Germany. A 700 MW interconnector between the two countries, the Hansa PowerBridge project launched in the 2010s, has been denied a permit by the Swedish authorities. 

“We can’t connect southern Sweden, which has a large deficit in electricity production, with Germany, where the electricity market today does not function efficiently,” Energy Minister Ebba Busch said in a statement, Reuters reported. 

The problem? Germany (and Luxembourg) is one massive electricity prize zone. Sweden, much smaller, has four distinct zones. 

Germany has long been under pressure from its neighbours (as well as Brussels and Ljubljana, where the EU regulator ACER is located) to split between North and South at least.

This arrangement increases electricity prices on the German side of the Swedish border. Any new German-Swedish interconnecter would therefore see massive flows of electricity from Sweden to Germany.

“That would risk leading to higher prices and a more unstable electricity market in Sweden,” Busch warned.

So far, Berlin has resisted a split – a key transmission grid operator study is expected by the end of 2024. 

Meanwhile, German right-wing media and lawmakers of the centre-right CDU (EPP) have capitalised on the “nej” to criticise Economy Minister Robert Habeck (Greens).

2040 climate target news. Two previously holdout countries signaled their support for a 90% climate target at a ministers’ meeting on Monday.

First was Czechia, previously a firm opponent, which stressed the need for flexibility, said the target would need an approval from EU leaders, and wants to wait until all national energy and climate plans are submitted “giving us a clear idea where we stand.” Poland, another former opponent, said the 2040 target had a role to play in the EU’s “international climate diplomacy.”

Both highlighted the role the EU’s looming CO2 tariff on imports will play to create a “level playing field,” as the Poles put it.

Greece remained firmly opposed. “Raising our ambition unilaterally is counterproductive,” said Petros Varelidis, secretary general for environment and water. Instead, Athens is urging a greater focus on “just transition” – fiscal transfers favouring poorer regions more affected by climate action.

‘Neutral’ countries maintained their insistence on EU funds to underpin a more ambitious target – with the upcoming negotiations on the EU’s multi-year budget MFF becoming a focal point.

[Nikolaus J. Kurmayer]

• Disputed Nature Restoration Law finally gets approved in Council – By Giada Santana

• G7 cooperation with China on climate-aligned trade is vital – By Joseph Dellatte and Matt Piotrowski
• Russia’s strategy: Bombing Ukraine into full blackout – By Olena Halushka and Victoria Voytsitska
• The European Green Deal has matured: the path forward – By Pieter de Pous

• 27-28 JUNE. European Council
• 14 OCTOBER. Environment Council
• 17-18 OCTOBER. European Council
• 16 DECEMBER. Energy Council
• 17 DECEMBER. Environment Council
• 19-20 DECEMBER. European Council

[Edited by Rajnish Singh]

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