The European Council of Environment Ministers approved this Monday the Nature Restoration Law, in a decision that did not obtain unanimity, but which brought a surprise: Austria voted in favor of this law that wants to safeguard natural habitats, despite that the Austrian judge chancellor has considered, in all his previous interventions, that this is illegal. Now, Leonore Gewessler, Minister of the Environment, The Austrian People’s Party accuses him of abuse of powerfor having a will contrary to the intention of the Austrian government.
According to Euractiv, which cites Christian Stocker, general secretary of the conservative Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP), the party “took criminal action against the Minister of the Environment for abuse of power”, believing that Leonore Gewessler was not authorized to vote. against what the country wanted. In fact, this accusation is part of the Austrian anti-corruption law.
The now approved Nature Restoration Law stipulates that all European Union countries are obliged to present and adopt a National Restoration Plan. In this plan, each country will have to plan to restore at least 30% of terrestrial, coastal, marine and freshwater habitats to an unfavorable conservation status by 2030, 60% by 2040 and 90% by 2050. EU members will also have to ensure that there is no significant deterioration in the areas identified and subject to restoration.
This case comes at a particular moment in Austrian politics, since Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer announced the holding of legislative elections on September 29, following the victory of the far-right Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) in the European elections. .
Source: Observadora
