Left-wing Italian parties expressed
delight on Wednesday after an attempt by the centre-right
European People's Party (EPP) and other right-wing groups to
sink the Nature Restoration Law in the European Parliament
failed.
The proposal to rehabilitate at least 20% of Europe's degraded
ecosystems by 2030, an important part of the the Green Deal,
survived the vote in Strasbourg with 336 votes in favour, 300
against and 13 abstentions.
"It's a great joy to be able to celebrate the vote in Strasbourg
on the Nature Restoration Law," said Annalisa Corrado, the head
of the Ecological Conversion for the opposition, centre-left
Democratic Party (PD).
"The right-wing parties have identified the European Green Deal
as an enemy. Nothing could be more mistaken.
"The ecosystem is our home.
"Continuing to say that preserving it is too costly from an
economic point of view, as our Premier (Giorgia Meloni) does, is
dishonest and reveals a short-sighted form of conservatism".
The 5-Star Movement's lawmakers in parliament's EU policies and
environment committees accused the parties of Meloni's coalition
of being united only when it comes to rowing against moves to
combat the environmental crisis.
"Today the government coalition, which is divided over
everything in Italy, regained unity in the worst possible way,
trying to sink the nature restoration law that obliged member
States to protect biodiversity and the environment with
concrete, measurable measures," the M5S lawmakers said.
"Today everyone knows that the Italian right-wing parties of
Meloni, (Matteo) Salvini and (Antonio) Tajani are on the side of
the industrial agriculture lobby in the name of profit".
French MEP Manon Aubry, the co-chair of The Left in the European
Parliament, said that Wednesday's vote marked the defeat of an
attempt to transfer the right/centre-right alliance backing
Meloni's government to the EU level.
"We are relieved," Aubry told ANSA.
"It a great defeat for the coalition between the People's Party
and the Right, a coalition that you know well in Italy with the
Meloni government.
"They tried it in Italy and now they wanted to try in the
European Parliament, but we defeated them.
"It is proof that, together, the parties of the Left can save
the environmental agenda and defeat the right".
Right-wing groups have said the law would threaten the
livelihoods of European farmers and fishers, disrupt food supply
chains and lead to price hikes.
Italian MEP Carlo Fidanza, the head of Meloni's right-wing
Brothers of Italy (FdI) party in the European Parliament, said
the failure to sink the Nature Restoration Law did not spell the
end for the prospect of a "new alliance" at the EU level.
"On the contrary, what has emerged is the awareness that some of
the decisions made by the current executive were wrong," he
continued.
"It's a good signal for the future and for the next
parliamentary term".
Another FdI MEP, Nicola Procaccini, said the Nature Restoration
Law was "negative for everyone who works in the world of
agriculture, fishing and the related sectors".
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