In a main debate on making agriculture more sustainable, dozens of MEPs on Wednesday supported Esther de Lange's (CDA) call to send the European Commission’s nature restoration law "back to the drawing board."
Last weekend, politicians in several EU countries (including Austria, Ireland, and Croatia) joined this call. Earlier, ministers from some Central European countries had already pushed for a postponement. Because the Christian Democrats did not submit any proposals or a resolution on Wednesday in Strasbourg, no vote has yet taken place on a possible delay. This could still happen in the coming months.
Notably, it was not Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski who defended the European Commission’s policy in the debate, but Vice-President Mairead McGuinness. When Wojciechowski did join the meeting table after the debate to discuss the next agenda item, that provoked an angry outburst from EPP group leader Manfred Weber, who called the absence "unacceptable."
It is unclear whether the Agriculture Commissioner himself decided to leave the defense of the Green Deal to McGuinness, or if he stayed away at the Commission’s insistence. Climate Commissioner Timmermans also did not take part in the debate.
This has further clarified that not only the earlier SUR pesticide proposals but now also the nature restoration law have become sensitive topics in European environmental and agricultural policy.
Currently, Agriculture ministers and EU politicians from various countries are still trying to find compromises and adjustments because only a limited number of elements currently have majority support. This is the case not only in the Agriculture Committee of the European Parliament and the Agriculture Council, but also in the Environment Committee and among environment ministers.