SPÖ at odds

EU law on renaturation divides the comrades

The EU Commission wants rivers to be able to flow freely again.(Bild: Verbund)

Yes to reforestation or no to the removal of agricultural land? The SPÖ can apparently do both, depending on its political function. When it comes to the planned EU renaturation law, the party is both a supporter and a blocker. An Upper Austrian stands alone in the field

More forests are to be reforested, moors rewetted and rivers allowed to flow more freely: This is the argument put forward by supporters of the planned EU renaturation law. Opponents, however, see the use of agricultural land and subsidies for farmers at risk. Although the law has already been passed in the EU Parliament, some countries are blocking its final approval in the EU Council - including Austria, or more precisely the federal states.

Red-governed states also against it
To be more precise: all six ÖVP and the three SPÖ-governed federal states have vetoed the bill. The red state governors Michael Ludwig (Vienna), Hans Peter Doskozil (Burgenland) and Peter Kaiser (Carinthia) have thus put one of their comrades in a serious predicament: the MEP Hannes Heide from Bad Ischl, who voted for the law in the EU Parliament: "In the EU, over 80 percent of natural areas are already in poor condition. We must act now so that we can live in an intact environment," he says on his website.

In Austria in particular, there are plenty of examples of how the objectives of the EU Restoration Act can be implemented.

Hannes Heide, EU-Abgeordneter aus Bad Ischl

Tender support from the regional SP
With his stance, Heide is "going against the interests of Upper Austria as a strong agricultural location", said ÖVP regional managing director Florian Hiegelsberger. SPOÖ leader Michael Lindner discreetly backs Heide: the law is "fundamentally undisputed. There is no question that the protection of nature and the environment through renaturation makes sense". However, details on funding and targets still need to be clarified.