European Parliament votes to continue negotiations on EU Nature Restoration Law, which would introduce legally binding commitments to restore at least 20% of EU's land and seas by 2030; TNC says vote 'crucial win-win' for nature, climate in Europe, world

Celebrating with the rest of The Nature Conservancy team the positive outcome of today’s vote, Noor Yafai - Europe Director for Global Policy and Institutional Partnerships – said:

“Today’s vote was a crucial win-win for nature and climate not just in Europe, but for the whole world, as other countries look to the EU for continued leadership on delivering the new Global Biodiversity Framework. Despite an audacious misinformation campaign carried out over many months and designed to kill off the EU Nature Restoration Law, the European Parliament has today come to the rescue of nature reeustoration as a vital first line of defence in the fight against climate change.

However, there are some sobering outcomes in the much less ambitious text agreed upon today. For example, key measures to improve the sustainability of farming in particular were voted down. This highlights that much more must be done to build shared understanding across all sectors of society that there will be no long-term food security if we don’t step up nature restoration, including protecting the priceless contribution of bees and other pollinators to human survival. Nature restoration can be financed sustainably, including by deploying innovative financing mechanisms that can benefit farmers and landowners without placing unrealistic burdens on taxpayers.

A lot of work still lies ahead now to ensure the best possible outcome for the EU Nature Restoration Law, but for now we celebrate today’s historic vote as a win-win for climate and biodiversity.”