Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue of the EU nature restoration law. We support the European Green Deal and support in principle the proposed EU regulation on nature restoration law. It was published by the Commission in June 2022 and aims to restore nature and biodiversity. The proposed regulation in its current form, however, is very ambitious and goes too far, and we have real concerns about the real challenges that would be posed by its impacts, timing, equity considerations and deliverability. Each relevant Government Department has been asked to undertake as a priority an analysis of the likely sectoral impacts in order to inform a coherent national impact assessment, including the economic cost arising and the impact on farmers and farm families and rural communities, particularly along the western seaboard. Formal negotiations on the regulation began under the Czech EU Presidency and are now continuing under the Swedish Presidency. The expectation is that the regulation will be ratified by the European Parliament and the Council in the middle of this year. Under current proposals, the regulation, once ratified, will come into force and member states, including Ireland, would have two years to prepare a national restoration plan. We would therefore have to have that plan prepared by 2026.

I have not seen any secret documents, I am not aware of them-----

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