A last-minute change of heart from Austria this week gave the final green light to a new European Nature Restoration Law to restore 20% of the EU’s degraded land and ecosystems by 2030 and all ecosystems by 2050.

Recognised as one of the European Green Deal’s most controversial files to date, the law was approved when Vienna’s environment minister Leonore Gewessler changed her position on a text that had faced strong opposition in this week’s lead up.

The pioneering regulation will now set legally binding targets to restore 20% of the EU’s degraded land and sea ecosystems by 2030 and all ecosystems by 2050. To achieve this, EU countries must restore at least 30% of habitats covered by the law from poor to good condition by 2030 – such as forests, grasslands, wetlands, rivers, and lakes – and 90% by 2050. Eurativ reports that Member states must also ensure these areas do not deteriorate once restored.

The law had faced strong opposition from the European People’s Party which raised concerns about its impact on the EU’s agricultural sector. Earlier this year, farming protests reinforced this position.

As such, the final bill has watered down many of its requirements for the farming sector with the introduction of an ‘emergency brake’ on targets affecting agriculture, enabling their suspension “under exceptional circumstances” that threaten food security.

Alongside Austria, Slovakia – which had previously voiced doubts about the proposal – also backed the text during the crucial vote this week, allowing the law to pass with a narrow majority of 20 countries representing 66% of the EU’s population. The threshold for approval by a qualified majority at the European Council is 65%.