Warm Climate, Cold Feet

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Decision-makers in the European Union (EU) on Monday voted to indefinitely postpone a climate action plan aimed at preserving biodiversity in the bloc, a move that follows weeks of farmers’ protests across the continent, the Associated Press reported.

The Council of the European Union, made up of ministers from the bloc’s 27 member states, was set to approve the Nature Restoration plan on Monday in a rubber-stamp vote after the European Parliament passed it last month.

It is part of the European Green Deal package, which includes measures to make Europe the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050, and set the world’s most ambitious climate and biodiversity targets to date.

The Nature Restoration plan was expected to survive the Council’s vote. However, a U-turn by Hungary ended up delaying the measure indefinitely.

This followed weeks of farmers’ protests across the EU that have already led to tens of millions of dollars of losses for businesses because of transportation delays. Farmers have protested EU environmental measures impacting the agricultural sector, saying they jeopardize their livelihoods.

Russia’s war in Ukraine has highlighted the issue of food security in Europe, which has long relied on agricultural imports from Ukraine.

With EU Parliamentary elections coming up in June, the bloc has granted concessions to the farmers. For example, the EU dropped an anti-pesticide proposal in February.