Activities of Silvia MODIG related to 2020/2273(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030: Bringing nature back into our lives (debate)
Amendments (60)
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 2
Citation 2
— having regard to the Commission communication of 11 December 2019 on the European Green Deal (COM(2019)0640), and its resolution of 15 January 2020 on the same subject1a, _________________ 1a Texts adopted, P9_TA(2020)0005,
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 a (new)
Citation 7 a (new)
- having regard to the European Court of Auditors special report 26/2020 of 26 November 2020 entitled 'Marine environment: EU protection is wide but not deep',
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 b (new)
Citation 7 b (new)
- having regard to the European Court of Auditors special report 15/2020 of 9 July 2020 entitled 'Protection of wild pollinators in the EU — Commission initiatives have not borne fruit',
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 c (new)
Citation 7 c (new)
- having regard to the European Court of Auditors special report 13/2020 of 5 June 2020 entitled 'Biodiversity on farmland: CAP contribution has not halted the decline',
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 8 a (new)
Citation 8 a (new)
- having regard to the European Environment Agency report of 19 October 2020 entitled 'The State of Nature in the EU',
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 8 b (new)
Citation 8 b (new)
- having regard the European Environment Agency briefing of 13 January 2021 entitled 'Growth without economic growth',
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 a (new)
Citation 13 a (new)
- having regard to its resolution of 9 September 2020 on the European Year of Greener Cities 20221a, _________________ 1a Texts adopted, P9_TA(2020)0241
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas Parliament has declared a climate and environmental emergency and committed to urgently take the concrete action needed in order to fight and contain this threat before it is too late; whereas Parliament approved an more ambitious Climate Law report than the Commission's proposal; whereas biodiversity loss and climate change represent equal threats to life on our planet and are intrinsically linked crises;
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and the upcoming international agreement under the CBD aim to establish the European and global framework on biodiversity up to 2030; whereas 2021 represents a decisive year for biodiversity and COP15 must be a Paris Agreement moment for biodiversity;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the evidence available suggests that it is not too late to halt and reverse current trends in the decline of biodiversity4 ; whereas this requires resolute action integrating biodiversity into all economic sectors; _________________ 4 Global Biodiversity Outlook 5.
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas the IUCN has declared 160 species to be extinct over the last decade alone and that no level of restoration will be able to bring back extinct species; whereas IPBES estimates that globally 1 million species are at risk of extinction as well;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
Cb. whereas nature is deteriorating at a rate and scale unprecedented in human history;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C c (new)
Recital C c (new)
Cc. whereas IPBES estimates that 90% of land is projected to be significantly altered by 2050 and 75% of land has already been significantly altered; whereas 85% of wetlands areas have already been lost;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C d (new)
Recital C d (new)
Cd. whereas of all the mammals on Earth, 60% are livestock and only 4% are wild1a; _________________ 1aProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America - May 21, 2018
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C e (new)
Recital C e (new)
Ce. whereas 70% of birds are farmed chickens or other poultry, with a worryingly low level of genetic diversity, and only 30% of birds are wild;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C f (new)
Recital C f (new)
Cf. whereas loss of biodiversity is tightly coupled to economic activities and economic growth as highlighted by the EEA; whereas there is no evidence of economy-wide, national or international absolute resource decoupling, and no evidence of the kind of decoupling needed for ecological sustainability;
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C g (new)
Recital C g (new)
Cg. whereas current negative trends in biodiversity and ecosystems will undermine progress towards not only SDG targets explicitly related to these, but also towards SDG targets related to poverty, hunger, health, water, cities, climate, oceans and land; whereas failure to achieve progress in these areas will most severely affect the world's poorest communities, including indigenous peoples; whereas loss and degradation of biodiversity must therefore be considered not only as environmental issues but also as developmental, economic, social and moral ones;
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the new EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 andbut warns that its level of ambition is insufficient to overcome current threats and fully preserve and restore biodiversity;
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Expresses regret that this is the third Biodiversity Strategy or Action Plan with a headline objective of halting loss of Europe's biodiversity; stresses the importance of this Biodiversity Strategy to fully deliver on its headline target;
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Recalls the conclusions of the IPBES report of 2019, according to which nature is declining at a rate unprecedented in human history and around 1 million species, out of an estimated total of 8.1 million, are threatened with extinction; strongly regrets that the Union has neither fully met the 2020 biodiversity strategy objectives nor the global Aichi Biodiversity Targets;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Stresses that the current COVID- 19 pandemic has once again demonstrated the importance of the ‘One Health’ principle in policy-making and that far- reaching, transformative changes are needed; calls for an urgent rethinking of how to align the Union’s current policies with the changes neededurgently needed in order to prevent future pandemics; highlights in this regard the conclusions from the 2020 IPBES report on biodiversity and pandemics stating that activities driving the biodiversity and climate crises are also increasing the risk of pandemics; calls therefore for an urgent rethinking of how to align the Union’s current policies with the transformative changes needed with particular attention to food systems and trade;
Amendment 219 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Stresses the link between biodiversity loss and human health, and underlines that the novel coronavirus has its origins in encroaching nature;
Amendment 225 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Recalls that nature's contributions to people are deteriorating worldwide;
Amendment 228 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 c (new)
Paragraph 3 c (new)
3c. Stresses that biodiversity and nature should not be merely considered as 'natural capital' or considered only in relation to their use or value to humans, but should instead be recognised as a common heritage of all on this planet of incalculable value; calls for an approach to biodiversity and nature that protects and restores it also for its intrinsic value in and of itself; rejects any attempt to monetise nature or calculate its value; believes any such attempt is only detrimental to nature;
Amendment 236 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Expresses strong support for the targets of protecting at least 30 % of the Union’s marine and terrestrial areas, and of strictly protecting at least 10 % of these Union's marine and terrestrial areas, including all remaining primary and old- growth forests; stresses that these should be binding and implemented by Member States, seagrass meadows and other carbon rich ecosystems, including coastal and marine ones; calls on the Commission to present a definition for strict protection, guided by the IUCN definition of protected areas and for such a definition to prohibit industrial and extractive activities in protected areas; stresses that the network of protected areas must be ecologically coherent and represent the full range of biodiversity in EU terrestrial and marine areas; stresses that these should be binding and implemented by Member States at national level, without effort-sharing in the implementation and in a timely manner in accordance with science-based criteria and biodiversity needs; underlines that in addition to increasing protected areas, the quality of protected areas shouldmust be ensured and clear conservation plans implementhrough implementing fully financed, clear and effective conservation and management plans; calls for more ambitious targets to be set for the medium-long term, ensuring that 50% of marine and terrestrial areas are protected;
Amendment 286 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Amendment 307 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Underscores the Overseas Countries' and Territories' need to have equal or equivalent rules;
Amendment 311 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 c (new)
Paragraph 4 c (new)
4c. Underlines that in order achieve the objective of halting and reversing the loss of Europe's biodiversity the remaining 70% of Union marine and terrestrial area not protected will also need contribute by being ecologically managed; recalls that restoring nature and ecosystems in protected areas cannot make up for continued destruction and degradation of ecosystems elsewhere; calls for the 'do no harm' as well as the precautionary principle to be fully integrated throughout EU policies;
Amendment 330 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. WStrongly welcomes the upcoming legislative proposal on the EUfor a legally binding Nature Restoration Plan and reiterates its call for a large-scale restoration target of at least 30 % of the EU’s land and seas, which should be implemented by each Member State consistently throughout their territorysetting them on a clear path to restoration by 2030 through enforceable and effective targets, which should be implemented by each Member State consistently throughout their territory; highlights that new nature restoration legislation must be supplementary and additional to the existing EU legislation, notably the EU Birds and Habitats Directives, Water Framework Directive and Marine Strategy Framework Directive; considers that in addition to an overall restoration target, ecosystem- specific targets should be set within each Member State, with a particular emphasis on ecosystems for the dual purposes of biodiversity restoration and nature-based solutions for climate change mitigation and adaptation; stresses that after restoration, no ecosystem degradation should be allowed;
Amendment 356 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Calls on the Commission to include in the legislative proposal on nature restoration a framework setting out intermediate nature restoration targets on the road to restoration by 2030 at Member State level; believes that this framework should include a mechanism obliging the Commission and the Member States to present plans for stepping up action if assessment shows that the current trajectory is insufficient for the EU to meet its goals;
Amendment 399 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Underlines that the Biodiversity Strategy’s actions must adequately tackle all five main direct drivers of change in naturbiodiversity loss and ecosystem change: changes in land and sea use; direct exploitation of organisms; climate change; pollution; and invasive alien species;
Amendment 410 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Stresses that in order for the Biodiversity Strategy 2030 to be successful it is of paramount importance to also tackle the indirect drivers underpinning the direct drivers, particularly the unsustainable production and consumption patterns at their root;
Amendment 465 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Recalls that the EU has committed to achieving land degradation neutrality by 2030, but that this target is unlikely to be achieved; calls on the Commission, therefore, to present anwithout delay an ambitious EU-level strategy on desertification and land degradation; that is fully compatible with the Strategy on Adaptation;
Amendment 483 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Calls on the Commission to set specific ambitious targets on urban biodiversity, nature-based solutions and green infrastructure and to develop a Trans-European Network for Green Infrastructure (TEN-G) linked to the Trans- European Nature Network (TEN-N); urges the Commission to reduce substantially the inequalities in access to urban green areas within cities;
Amendment 507 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Expresses its support for the 2030 targets of bringing at least 25 % of agricultural land under organic farm management, which should become the norm in the medium-long term in each Member State, and ensuring that at least 10 % of agricultural land consists of high- diversity landscape features, which should be implemented at farm level in a timely manner, targets which should both be incorporated into EU legislation; considers it imperative that farmers receive support and training in the transition towards agroecological practices away from monocultures, agriculture dependent on external fossil and chemical input and intensive animal agriculture, and towards sustainable and higher-welfare animal farming practices that can drastically reduce the over-reliance on antimicrobial treatments, and contribute to restoring biodiversity instead of depleting it;
Amendment 540 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Stresses that agriculture is one of the biggest drivers of biodiversity loss; reiterates, following its resolution on the European Green Deal of 15th January 2020, that the common agricultural policy (CAP) should be fully in line with the EU's increased climate and biodiversity ambition and well as the Biodiversity and Farm to Fork Strategies;
Amendment 560 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Stresses that all fishing activities must be subject ton ecosystem based management should be implemented, restoring and maintaining all fish populations above biomass levels capable of producing maximum sustainable yield levels(MSY), with zero tolerance of illegal fishing practices and the, elimination of by- catches of sensitive species and minimization of damage to seabed and benthic ecosystems;
Amendment 576 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Calls on the Commission to require ecosystem impact assessments of all fishing activities including incorporating adaptation and mitigation of climate change;
Amendment 580 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)
Paragraph 11 b (new)
11b. Recalls that the EU is committed to full recovery of marine life; calls on the Commission to halt ocean degradation and to address ocean eutrophication and acidification by presenting an ambitious action plan to conserve fisheries resources and protect marine ecosystems by 2021;
Amendment 614 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Insists that priority for protected areas must be environmental conservation and restoration and that no activity in these areas should undermine this goal; calls on the Commission to avoid future marine renewable energy developments and bottom-trawling fishingan fishing with bottom-contacting gear and other industrial and destructive activities within Marine Protected Areas;
Amendment 637 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Underlines that the new EU Forest Strategy must have protection and restoration of forest ecosystem as its primary objective, be fully aligned with the Climate Law and the Biodiversity Strategy and have a clear aim to increase the EU's natural sinks; calls for the inclusion in the Nature Restoration Plan of specific binding targets for the protection and restoration of forest ecosystems, which should also be incorporated into the Forest Strategy; urges the Commission and the Member States to take full account of the impact that increased use of biofuels has on deforestation and the threat it poses to both biodiversity and climate; therefore calls on the Commission to fundamentally reform EU bioenergy policies, i.e. by revising the Renewable Energy Directive, and exclude biofuels from support;
Amendment 660 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Urges the Commission to revise the Renewable Energy Directive; stresses that the revised sustainability criteria of the Renewable Energy Directive must be science-based and aligned with the Paris Agreement, the Climate Law and the Biodiversity Strategy; insists that the use of whole trees and food and feed crops for energy production should at least be minimised;
Amendment 673 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Stresses that the Union’s tree planting initiatives shouldmust be based on clear ecological principles, proforestation, sustainable reforestation and the greening of urban areas, while ensuring that some forest areas are kept untouched; calls on the Commission to ensure that these initiatives are carried out only in a manner compatible with and conducive to the biodiversity objectives;
Amendment 694 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. CStresses that voluntary measures and market-based mechanisms such as labelling and 'Round Tables' are woefully insufficient to stop deforestation; calls on the Commission to urgently present a proposal for an EU legal framework to halt deforestation based on mandatory due diligence that ensures sustainable and deforestation-free value chains;
Amendment 714 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Expresses its concern that the majority of the ranges of terrestrial species will decrease significantly in a 1.5 to 2°C scenario; highlights, therefore, the need to, especially since current emission trajectories, both at EU and global level, mean that these temperature increases will most likely be exceeded; reiterates, therefore, the need to further significantly increase EU ambition in this regard, prioritiseing nature-based solutions in meeting climate mitigation goals and in adaptation strategies and to increase the protection of natural carbon sinks in the EU; underlines that the removals by carbon sinks should not be counted towards the 55% emissions reduction target, but instead be additional;
Amendment 734 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Recalls that protection of oceans play an indispensable role in halting and reversing loss of biodiversity, not only with regard to the ocean habitat themselves, but also due to oceans having an immense impact on the health of ecosystems everywhere on the planet; highlights further the essential role played by healthy ocean ecosystems in mitigating climate change; calls therefore for the restoration of marine ecosystems providing natural sinks and for their inclusion in effectively managed Marine Protected Areas;
Amendment 781 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Welcomes the Commission’s targets of reducing the use of more hazardous and chemical pesticides by 50 %, the use of fertilisers by at least 20 % and nutrient losses by at least 50 % by 2030, which should be made legally binding; believes that intermediate reduction targets should be set and coupled with a mechanism requiring increased measures to be presented if intermediate targets are not met; considers that the derogation envisaged in Article 53(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 should be clarified and must only be applied for health and environmental reasons;
Amendment 805 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Expresses concern that 80% of urban sewage discharged into sea basins such as the Mediterranean Sea is untreated leading to negative impacts on marine biodiversity and human health; calls on the Commission to ensure compliance with the Marine Strategy Framework Directive and Water Framework Directive;
Amendment 808 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
Paragraph 18 b (new)
18b. Notes that approximately 80% of marine litter is land-based and that 150 million tonnes of plastics have accumulated in our oceans, while 4.6-12.7 million tonnes are added every year; calls on the Commission to ensure a swift implementation of all 35 actions of the new Circular Economy Action Plan - one of the main blocks of the European Green Deal, to address this; recalls that the EU has committed itself to lead efforts on reaching a global agreement on plastics which must address the whole lifecycle of plastics and represent a fundamental change to the plastics economy;
Amendment 853 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Calls on the Commission and Member States to ensure that the objectives of the Biodiversity Strategy are fully reflected in the future Zero Pollution Action Plan, which should also address noise, including underwater noise and light pollution;
Amendment 889 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Calls on the Commission to address the disproportionately low presence of marine invasive alien species on the IAS list of Union concern to ensure proper alignment with Regulation (EU) No 1143/2014;
Amendment 903 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Calls on the Commission to ensure effective biodiversity mainstreaming and proofing across all EU spending and programmes, including the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) on the basis of thea robust EU Taxonomy and the ‘do no significant harm’ principle; calls on the Commission to provide a comprehensive assessment of how the EUR 20 billion per year needed for nature, as a minimum, could be mobilised, to make corresponding proposals for the Union’s annual budget and to examine the need for a dedicated funding instrument for TEN-N; considers that efforts should be made to reachreiterates its call for at least 10 % annual spending on biodiversity under the multiannual financial framework (MFF) as soon as possible from 2021 onwards; insists that the biodiversity-related expenditure must be tracked using a more robust, transparent and comprehensive methodology than the current OECD Rio Market system and be based on the conservativeness principle, as well as having expenditure resulting in a negative impact on biodiversity count negatively towards the total allocation;
Amendment 931 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Calls on the Commission to provide an assessment of all subsidies harmful to the environment with a view toor animal welfare with as well as a plan for their phasing out by 203025 at the latest; reiterates its calls for the reorientation of, including fisheries subsidies leading to overcapacity and overfishing as well as agricultural subsidies leading to intensive animal production; reiterates its calls for the reorientation of both public and private financial flows, including taxation systems, towards investments beneficial to biodiversity and climate and an increased use of environmental taxation;
Amendment 964 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Highlights the need for a legally binding biodiversity governance framework, similar to the Climate Law, which steers a path to 2050 through a set of binding objectives, including targets for 2030 and the COP15 commitments, and which establishes a monitoring mechanism with smart indicators; calls on the Commission to submit a legal proposal to this end in 2022; calls in this regard for the establishment of an independent European Panel on Biodiversity (EPB), consisting of scientists selected on the basis of their expertise, whose purpose of which is to monitor on an annual basis the progress on reversing the decline of biodiversity and restoration of nature;
Amendment 1053 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Recalls the position expressed in its resolution of 16 January 2020 on COP156 on biodiversity and the need for a post- 2020 binding agreement similar to the Paris Agreement to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030; believes that 2021 represents a watershed moment for biodiversity globally and it is the EU's moral responsibility to ensure the most ambitious outcome possible for COP15; stresses that the EU must push for an ambitious and binding global agreement on the post-2020 framework on biodiversity with clear goals and binding targets on protected areas both in the EU overall and globally; _________________ 6 Texts adopted, P9_TA(2020)0015.
Amendment 1060 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
Paragraph 27 a (new)
27a. Recalls that the environmental footprint of Europe's production and consumption urgently needs to be reduced in order to stay within planetary boundaries by 2030, since we would need 2.8 planets if everybody in the world lived like the average EU citizen; believes therefore that the EU and the Member States have a special responsibility to pursue policies with immediate, medium- term and long-term objectives to mitigate the effects of climate change, defend habitats, halt and reverse the loss of biodiversity as well as transform its foreign and trade policies accordingly, and to assist developing countries in implementing programmes for the protection of biodiversity; highlights in this regard the need to ensure that further and future efforts to halt and reverse biodiversity loss in EU terrestrial and marine areas do not transfer pressures to other parts of the world;
Amendment 1101 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)
Paragraph 28 a (new)
28a. Calls on the Commission to ensure that all new and future trade and investment agreements are fully compatible with the EU's biodiversity commitments as well as the SDGs, contain binding and enforceable chapters on trade and sustainable development, including safeguards to prevent them from being implemented in a manner that could lead to biodiversity loss and degradation of ecosystems; calls furthermore on the Commission to assess the extent to which existing trade and investment agreements directly or indirectly contribute to loss of biodiversity and degradation of natural ecosystems, and to propose measures to address such detrimental impacts where identified, in particular by including binding, enforceable and sanctionable provisions for the protection of natural ecosystems in existing trade agreements which do not yet contain such provisions; stresses the need to pandemic-proof all new and future trade agreements and calls on the Commission to do so; calls on the commission to also do a comprehensive pandemic assessment of all existing trade and investment agreements;
Amendment 1127 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Notes with deep concern that marine plastic pollution has increased tenfold since 1980, affecting at leastll marine and coastal life, and particularly 267 species; calls on the Union to lead negotiations for an international agreement for plastic-free oceans by 2030;
Amendment 1136 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 a (new)
Paragraph 29 a (new)
29a. Recalls its Resolution of 16 January 2018 on international ocean governance1a; calls on the Commission and the Member States to establish a moratorium on deep-sea mining in EU waters and to ask the International Seabed Authority to set a moratorium on the deep sea mining for all its parties, to reform the structure and functioning of the International Seabed Authority; calls on the Commission to cease funding for the development of deep-sea mining technology, consistent with the need to transition to a circular economy based on minimizing, reusing and recycling minerals and metals and calls on the Commission to instead fund research into deep sea ecosystems and biodiversity; _________________ 1a Texts adopted, P8_TA(2018)0004
Amendment 1172 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Urges Member States to fully comply with the obligations set out in existing EU nature legislation and calls on the Commission to swiftly pursue infringement procedures to remedy all cases of non-compliance and to allocate sufficient resources in order to overcome the current enforcement delays;