With his white beard and his curvaceous Santa Clauses, his sack full of legislative texts on the green pact, Frans Timmermans does not look like what he really is: a pugnacious brawler, exceptional swashbuckler, never so good as in tough debates, where his protrusions hit the bull’s eye in several languages ????- he speaks six.
For the European right, the Dutch vice-president of the Commission, Labor, has become the man to be beaten, a “disconnected ideologue” who “advocates degrowth”, according to the most frequent philippics. Its law on biodiversity would have, according to its Dutch rival Esther de Lange (CDA-PPE), led to weakening agricultural production, ruined the peasantry, contributed to inflation on foodstuffs, prevented the future construction of social housing or wind turbines…
So much fake news, assures Timmermans, who implores the EPP parliamentarians to return to the content of his law and to negotiate with the Commission. Precisely, we continue the match, Wednesday, July 19, during the first trilogue between the parliamentarians and the representatives of the Council. On behalf of the Commission, Frans Timmermans will be in the middle, in the position of friendly composer.
In any case, nothing was more urgent for the caciques of the EPP than to dismiss from the legislative pipes this law considered wicked laid by a hated Timmermans who wanted to return the soil to its state of 70 years ago. A dangerous man for the forests, almost an arsonist because he demanded that we no longer collect dead wood – this provision has been deleted by amendment.
The Bavarian failed, betrayed by 15 dissidents from his own troops. The text went to 336 votes against 330. Manfred Weber came up against Timmermans, an opponent he knows well. They have already boxed against each other in 2019, when they were each the spitzenkandidat (head of the European list) of their respective parties for the presidency of the Commission.
Both failed at the time, but they had their chance. Weber was blocked by Emmanuel Macron and the Hungarian Viktor Orban, allies of circumstance. Angela Merkel even dropped Weber for the candidate Timmermans, the time of a short stay at the G7 in Osaka, before his proposal was buried by the other conservative leaders of the EPP.
That is to say if the animosity between the two men could have been strong… And now we are talking again about Timmermans to lead the European Socialists to the European elections in 2024. This does not help and perhaps explains a particular animosity, especially among the Dutch.
What’s left of the law? Parliament moved closer to the position adopted in June by the Council. But he went further by removing the whole passage on agriculture (article 9), which makes the law completely flawed. Despite everything, the general objective of the law was confirmed: to restore at least 20% of degraded ecosystems by 2030, in alignment with the objective of COP15 on biodiversity in Montreal.
Ditto for marine habitats. Simply, it is no longer a question of imposing obligations of result but only obligations of means. Member States are urged to restore 25,000 km of waterways by removing obsolete barriers – small dams that have fallen into disuse.
The parliamentary battle for amendments has also sown, within the text, inconsistent provisions on Natura 2000 areas. Just as the 2040 and 2050 objectives for marine ecosystems have been deleted, which Timmermans may regret.
Esther de Lange succeeded in passing a key amendment which provides for “emergency brakes”. The objectives of the text would be postponed if this legislation were to delay in one or more Member States the construction of housing, in particular social housing, the construction of renewable energy projects.
Ditto if the text were to affect the price of foodstuffs by 10% over one year or if agricultural production were to drop by 5% over one year. It is enough that only one of these conditions is fulfilled for the text to cease to apply.
“Personal attacks don’t work,” Timmermans concluded following the rabid debate in parliament. If you don’t take the bait, if you don’t react, if you don’t throw mud yourself, it doesn’t work! […] The Commission is ready to find a consensus within the Parliament. Because it’s not winner-takes-all in this Parliament, it’s also respect for minorities who lost the vote, and their ideas can help improve legislation. An offer of peace that will or will not be taken seriously, this Wednesday, during the first trilogue on the restoration of nature.
