Biodiversity advocacy groups in Europe on Friday applauded policymakers' reaching of a landmark deal to restore nature, finalized after painstaking negotiations between the European Parliament, Commission, and Council—but warned that the bloc's largest party, the right-wing European People's Party, had succeeded in securing numerous concessions that watered down the agreement.
But after lobbying by the European People's Party , countries will be under no legal obligation to implement the protection measures in other areas until 2030.The peatland protection clause is also 'voluntary' for farmers and private landowners, and the EPP removed a requirement for 10% of farmland to have landscape features including hedgerows and flower strips.Advocates also lamented an 'emergency brake' provision included in the deal, which allows E.U.