After months of delay, European Union countries on Monday gave final nod to a flagship policy to restore damaged nature.
With this move, the Nature Restoration Law will become the first green law to pass since European Parliament polls this month.
The law mandates member states to introduce measures restoring nature on a fifth of their land and sea by 2030.
The vote took place after Austria’s enviornment minister, Leonore Gewesler of the Greens, chose to defy her conservation coalition partners by backing the policy. The Austrian minister’s move gave the policy just enough support to pass.
A total of 20 EU countries voted in favour of the law, while nations such as Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands, Italy and Hungary voted against it.