Members of the European Parliament's Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) meet in Brussels to vote on the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030; Bringing nature back into our lives. The Committee is stressing the need for urgent action on biodiversity protection, ensuring the full implementation of the Strategy, and guaranteeing sufficient funding to attain the announced goals.Statement by César LUENA (S&D, ES), rapporteur.

Brussels

statement

meeting

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Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

LUENA, César (S&D, ES)

biodiversity strategy (T)

EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030; Bringing nature back into our lives: vote in ENVI committee and statement by César LUENA (S&D, ES), rapporteur

Title: EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030; Bringing nature back into our lives: vote in ENVI committee and statement by C&#233;sar LUENA (S&amp;D, ES)

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), C&#233;sar LUENA (S&amp;D, ES), Rapporteur, First of all, I want to make clear that we are experiencing a global crisis, which is not only a crisis related to the climate change.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), C&#233;sar LUENA (S&amp;D, ES), Rapporteur, There is a second part which is the crisis of the species loss, of the extinction of species, a bodiversity crisis. That's why we have to be very demanding and very ambitious. If we are not ambitious, we will not achieve our purpose, which is to reverse this loss of biodiversity.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), C&#233;sar LUENA (S&amp;D, ES), Rapporteur, Education. I will say it firstly because I think we need to strengthen Erasmus with a green Erasmus. The article 37 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights refers to the environment law, but this right is not effective. Why do we not enforce the right to a healthy environment and then accompany it with a European biodiversity law? We have just adopted a European climate law. Why do we not adopt a European biodiversity law that reinforces all this and makes the objectives we set ourselves, mandatory, binding?

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), C&#233;sar LUENA (S&amp;D, ES), Rapporteur, And then, in relation to the restoration and the protection and conservation of the nature we have very ambitious targets of 30% in the maritime, terrestrial and river areas. Let's put it into law. We have to protect our grounds too. I think they are fundamental to protect our species. Do we have a European legislative framework on soil? The answer is no. Do we need to have this legal framework? The answer is yes. On the other hand, then soils protect the forests.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), C&#233;sar LUENA (S&amp;D, ES), Rapporteur, The forests are the common heritage of the European Union and it is granted by the Court of Justice of the Union, especially primary and ancient forests. We have to protect them and we also have to change. We need to change our production and consumption patterns: the agriculture, farming. fishing. I understand your concerns, but I tell you that we have to compromise, we have to make efforts and sacrifices. Therefore, I believe that with a new education, by strengthening the actual rights with a law, introducing changes and defending that the objectives become binding to protect, to defend and to restore nature, we will be able to reverse the loss of our species and to make our planet alive for all the species.