Greta Thunberg was photographed at the European Parliament in Strasbourg last Wednesday smiling broadly while flipping a double-bird – apparently to the opponents of heavily contested new EU environmental legislation known as the ‘Nature Restoration Law’. According to the German news site Merkur.de, it was a “winner’s gesture” – if not the most sporting one – because at its Wednesday session, the parliament approved the legislation, with some amendments, by the notably slim margin of 336-300. A prior motion to reject the proposal outright was defeated by the even slimmer margin of 324-312.
The proposed Nature Restoration Law, one of the main components of the European Commission’s ‘Green Deal’, would require 20% of allegedly degraded EU land and sea to be ‘restored’ by 2030. (See, for instance, the factsheet on the law here.) A modified version of the proposal, which was already rejected in the parliament’s Environment Committee, would have raised this figure even to 30%.
Fearing the impact of such ‘restoration’ on the livelihoods of farmers and fishermen, European agricultural and fishery groups have vigorously opposed the proposal, and it was also rejected by both the parliament’s agricultural and fisheries committees.
The largest group in the European Parliament, the ‘conservative’ European People’s Party (EPP), likewise opposed the legislation. Ironically, the largest national delegation within the EPP group is comprised of the German Christian Democrats of none other than European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Nonetheless, the legislation only managed to escape outright rejection in the full parliament thanks to 15 EPP members breaking ranks and voting with the Greens, the Social Democrats and the Left group. (See roll-call here, p. 52.)
It should be noted that, despite the schadenfreude evident in Greta Thunberg’s ‘winner’s gesture’, the Nature Restoration Law has not now cleared parliament.
Rather, the European Parliament’s approval of the legislation means that the text will now be the subject of so-called ‘trilogue’ negotiations involving representatives of the three main EU institutions: the Commission, the Parliament and the Council (in which EU member states are directly represented). The final text will then be resubmitted to the Parliament at some future date.
Robert Kogon is the pen name of a widely-published journalist covering European affairs. Subscribe to his Substack and follow him on Twitter.
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What does Saint Thunturd know about ‘nature restoration’ and what does that mean? What has that to do with ‘Klimat $cience’ besides nothing? What are the details of this plan and how will they impact reality and people? Maybe that should be revealed and debated. Two finger salute back at the ugly Doom goblin.
Good comment, nature restoration, or re-wilding the same thing, the abandonment of agriculture and fisheries, in the guise of habitat rejuvenation. This abandonment will increase food shortages and increase prices. The idiots of the west protest groups and political sycophants have not worked out yet the west is less capable of dealing with these concepts, but will be the most effected by them.
Nige I think that food shortages and high prices are the point. High food inflation figures out again today. That all our policies seem to be designed to make this worse is no accident. Most of those protesting are well enough off not to worry and don’t seem to care if poor people go hungry.
One of the problems with shortages is the propensity to diversify from what you are used to, to something else you used to use. Given the fact that most people today, can’t cook, can’t fix anything, too comfortable sitting watching TV. video games, expect every thing with a click of a button. How long to you think law and order will survive when some of this breaks down? I would suggest that from, disquiet to riots to a state of mad max, would be a matter of months.
The world has reached its 4.6 billionth year birthday
! Yeah!.. Greta is 20 years old!
Wow, you do the maths
Hasn’t she moved to Africa yet in order to lower her carbon footprint? She can take all her eco fascist supporters with her. There is plenty of room in Africa given that all the locals seem to want to live in Europe.
Want to start a crowd fund for her ticket.
Certainly not! Surely she would cycle or walk?
Hopefully walk, and can start by walking on the North Atlantic. There are certainly enough people who think she is capable of it, indeed she may also think herself capable of it anyway. One can only hope.
When I wonder will she start a protest in China? Come on Greta if you are really the genuine article off you go start a movement in the worlds biggest polluter, not sure the WEF will back you though as Mr Shwab really admires the Chinese model of looking after its citizens.
As a “neuro-diverse” refugee from Moomin valley, Little Grettle’s thoughts on any subject are likely to be incoherent and obscene. But notice the flush of prosperity on her tanned and fattening face; the grin of triumph which no doubt comes from abundant billionaire backing; the presence among the creature’s fellow oligarchs at a prominent social event. In short, we see the corruption and entitlement on plain display, for all that it disports itself in casual rags.
Those fingers of hers are doubtless well employed, but rarely in the orifices of others. Few would dare to explore that “bonus hole”!
If some self-loathing male did explore it, she might see the benefit of some single use plastics…..
Typical gesture of a silly rich kid.
The idiot child Thoooooooonberg?
Nature restorations is good, but not as good as feeding your population.
The political tide is turning in continental europe …. this can easily be overturned in the future
The daughter of 2 wealthy individuals, who has attended less formal education than the average truant in an inner city state school, and yet is lauded as some new Joan of Ark by the establishment.
This teenager has never held down a job, knows zero about the lives of people who actually have to work for a living, and no that isn’t in the media and sleb land like her parents.
On the basis of her credentials we should be taking advice and leadership from the poorest performing 12 year old on science, medicine and farming etc. I do hope that Pfizer, the Gates foundation, Goldman, Larry Fink enterprises etc will now consider making redundant all of its boards and university recruits and instead follow in the footsteps of their prophetess and employ only the very lowliest intelligence from first year senior school.
I am sure by following in those footsteps, Gates, Blackrock, the WEF etc will gain even greater financial strength.
https://www.globalresearch.ca/secret-may-2009-meeting-of-the-good-club-billionaire-club-in-bid-to-curb-overpopulation/5742626
Well, well, well.
Who’da thunk it.
I really appreciate the DS but have a request:
Can we make it ‘Thunberg Free’ please. Starve her of the publicity she craves.
I really don’t give two hoots about the views of this mentally unbalanced woman.
I’m almost completely against brutal sexual assaults by gangs of islamic illegals – my one exception would be in her case.
It is a long and boring story but basically her mother persued a singing career and worked hard for Eurovision which left Greta home with abandonment issues and so she gained some traction and then rectal Schwab picked her up and here we are. I might’ve felt some sympathy and pity for such a pathetic human being before but not now given that she is behavig in full cogniscance.
You forgot Foetal Alcohol syndrome.