Key green bill narrowly clears vote in European Parliament

An ambitious environmental bill narrowly survived a key vote in the European Union’s Parliament on Wednesday, sending it back to committee.

The EU Parliament voted 336-300 in favor of the Nature Restoration Law, which would create binding ecosystem restoration goals to be met by 2030.

Under the measure, member states would be required to develop recovery plans for 20 percent of EU land and sea, with a restoration deadline for the entire continent by 2050. It would not create new protected areas in the continent

In a separate vote, the parliament voted 324-312 against rejecting the measure outright. It includes a provision to postpone the binding targets in the event of “exceptional socioeconomic consequences.”

The Wednesday vote was considered a make-or-break moment for the legislation, a keystone of a suite of environmental measures known as the European Green Deal. In the weeks leading up to the vote, it was the subject of intense lobbying both for and against. Supporters include environmental organizations and some multinational companies like Nestle, while opponents include the conservative European People’s Party and trade groups representing agriculture and fisheries.

“This is good news for nature. For the climate. For business. For our common future,” tweeted Terry Reintke, a member of the EU governing body, representing Germany and co-president of the parliament’s Greens-European Free Alliance.

The parliament’s environmental committee earlier voted the bill down 44-44, the first such setback for a European Green Deal bill, resulting in it being sent to the floor with a recommendation that it be scrapped.

The legislation will now be sent back to that panel and, should it clear the committee, enter into talks between MEPs and their member states. These negotiations will incorporate the more than 100 amendments that were part of the voting process Wednesday.