France will go “to the end” of the European Green Pact, promises Elisabeth Borne

Elisabeth Borne wanted this Friday to reure her European partners and ociations on France’s commitments in terms of the environment, after comments by Emmanuel Macron on the idea of ​​a moratorium which caused a stir.

“What we want is for us to go after all the regulations that are provided for in application of the Green Deal (Green Pact of the European Union, editor’s note). So, we are working actively, in particular on an important regulation, the regulation on the Restoration of nature “which deals with biodiversity, declared during a press briefing the Prime Minister, during a trip to the Côte d’Or on the theme of biodiversity.

Dialogue

“And I can ure you that France is very driving force. It was, and it will remain so, on a text which is indeed the subject of much debate ”in the European Parliament, she ured. The law on biodiversity divides, including within the Renew group, where the majority MEPs sit.

At his side, the European Commissioner for the Environment and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevicius, welcomed the fact of “bringing together (the stakeholders), consulting them” before implementing measures in favor of biodiversity. “It works through dialogue: dialogue with local communities, farmers and foresters,” he insisted.

The Prime Minister said, however, “share” the words of Emmanuel Macron. For him, it is no longer necessary to “add” environmental standards after the application of the Green Deal, so as not to discourage investors. A position that echoes that of the European right and outrages environmentalists.

We must “not change gradually, too often, the objectives that we set for ourselves, otherwise no one will understand anything”, declared this Friday Elisabeth Borne, who closed a week which was intended to be marked by ecology.

If the essentials of the EU climate plan – which aims for a carbon neutrality objective by 2050 – have been adopted (reform of the carbon market, carbon tax at the borders, end of sales of cars with internal combustion engines, etc.), negotiations are slipping for other key texts of this Pact on biodiversity, pesticides or polluting emissions from livestock, which worry farmers.

“Very worrying erosion” of biodiversity

Elisabeth Borne judged the “erosion” of biodiversity “very worrying” with “damaging consequences” on “carbon sinks, on water, on air quality and even on our food”.

She specified “three axes” on which France’s strategy in this area will be based, which will be presented “in the summer”: “to lower the pressures” on biodiversity by reducing the use of pesticides, and by fighting against soil artificialization; “restore” it by planting 1 billion trees by 2030; and finally “mobilizing everyone”. As such, the “educational areas” managed by schoolchildren will increase from 1,000 to 18,000 in 2030, and the number of young people in environmental civic service will be multiplied by 10.