A chara, – Thank you for your strong statement of natural truth “The Irish Times view on the EU Nature Restoration Law: essential that final provisions are strong enough” (Editorial, July 13th). As a mother who raised seven children and many hundred livestock on our family farm in Mayo, I agree fully.
There has not been sufficient Government communication to the public about this key topic. Please write more in the coming weeks to help everyone understand what is happening in Brussels and Strasbourg to determine the future of our country for our children and grandchildren.
I was one of more than one million citizens who last week firmly asked our MEPs to represent me and my children and grandchildren, and pass this law and keep it strong.
As you might appreciate, this is not something I am accustomed to doing, but I feel strongly. My elected representatives have my gratitude for approving that law.
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However, they do not have my support for introducing the kind of amendments that some environmental groups are reporting they added. I did not want to believe they would do that.
But you say that is true also: “Nevertheless, it is worrying that Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin have eagerly endorsed amendments that strip out the law’s most significant provisions.” That really concerns me. It does not seem nice nor honest to me. That does not sound like the way we do democracy in this country.
Am I correct in thinking that the Irish Government, including all three Government parties, have already agreed the Irish position in negotiations and it is stronger and does not include those significant strip-outs?
If so, I expect my MEPs to hold this Irish line as if their lives, and those of my grandchildren, depended on it. – Is mise le meas,
ANN SCANLON,
Ranelagh.
Sir, – The Draft Nature Restoration Law was recently passed, with amendments, in the European Parliament. The original text was prepared by the European Commission. Article 16, Access to Justice, set out the right of citizens to hold their governments to account for failure to implement the Nature Restoration Law, “consistently with the objective of providing the public with wide access to justice”. It specifically upheld the right of non-governmental organisations to challenge the government on failures to implement the law.
The European Parliament “amended” this section by deleting it in full. The text and the fate of article 16 will now be the subject of negotiation between parliament, commission, and the Council of Ministers. Interest groups lobbied in Brussels for this deletion of citizens’ rights. It is time now for citizens to lobby for the reinsertion of this article in the Nature Restoration Law. – Yours, etc
DENIS HEALY,
Galway.