The EU has passed a landmark law to protect nature after a knife-edge vote, ending a months-long deadlock among member states spooked by fierce protests from farmers.
But a last-minute change of heart by Austria, which is credited with saving the proposal, has plunged the country into political chaos – with the governing centre-right ÖVP announcing it will file criminal charges against the Green climate minister.
The nature restoration law, which has proven to be the most controversial pillar of the European Green Deal and nearly failed at the final hurdle, sets a target to restore at least 20% of the EU’s land and sea by the end of the decade.