Slovakia’s environment and agriculture ministries have different views on the EU’s nature protection law recently approved by the EU Parliament, with one calling it an opportunity while the other believes parts need changing.
The Environment Ministry described the proposal as an opportunity for Slovakia to adapt the country to the adverse effects of climate change, which will also benefit other economic sectors.
“For example, implementing nature and biodiversity restoration measures in agricultural landscapes will help farmers to combat drought,” the ministry told EURACTIV Slovakia following the EU Parliament’s vote on key legislation for environmental protection.
Reversing the decline of pollinators, “which is undoubtedly linked to a reduction in chemicals“, will contribute to higher yields in pollinator-dependent crops, it added.
However, the Agriculture Ministry is more critical of the regulation.
While it sees it as “progress towards the protection and restoration of nature and biodiversity in the individual EU member states”, it adds that it contains several contentious points. In particular, it deems the proposed forest restoration indicators to be “inappropriate”, the ministry told EURACTIV Slovakia following the EU Parliament’s vote on key legislation for environmental protection.
According to the Agriculture Ministry, the most contentious part of the law is Article 10, a provision that outlines a method to measure the restoration of forest ecosystems, for example, with standing and lying deadwood, common forest bird index or stock of organic carbon.
“Such a practice may further exacerbate differences in the state of ecosystems and the use of natural resources between EU member states and thus contribute to different degrees of socio-economic impacts in the member states,” according to the Agriculture Ministry.
On top of that, the ministry also noted that the proposals are “ahead of schedule” of the forthcoming debate on the draft EU regulation on forest monitoring and strategic forest plans.
The ministry also claims that its comments have not been considered in the EU Council’s compromise proposal.
(Marián Koreň | EURACTIV.sk)
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