The Fight for Scotland’s Nature campaign has been pushing for an independent, well-resourced watchdog.
New EU Continuity Bill a welcome step forward, say charities.
Scottish Environment LINK, a coalition of Scotland’s leading charities has today welcomed the Scottish government’s announcement of a new EU Continuity Bill to safeguard vital environmental protections that would otherwise be lost in December this year, at the end of the Brexit transition period.
The coalition has also warned that the draft law must be significantly strengthened in a number of areas in order to ensure Scotland’s natural environment doesn’t lose out from weakened protection once we leave the EU.
Deborah Long, Chief Officer of Scottish Environment LINK, said:
“We welcome the arrival of this crucial piece of legislation to secure key environmental protections in Scotland post-Brexit. This is an important step to keep Scotland’s high environmental standards in place for the years ahead, however, we know that with a Bill of this complexity the devil will be in the detail.
“We will be examining the Scottish government’s proposals in detail to ensure the new watchdog is fully independent and well-resourced, backed up by strong environmental principles. Whilst we support the direction of travel in the Bill, a first glance shows that some work will be needed to ensure the Principles and Governance requirements meet the standards needed to safeguard Scotland’s amazing nature long into the future.”