EU funds and biodiversity
March 4, 2022
Nature in Europe and beyond is in crisis. 81% of habitats in the EU are in ‘poor condition’, and without swift action this will only become worse. We need systemic and wide-reaching action and investments to tackle biodiversity loss and help restore nature before it is too late. The EU has pledged at least 20 billion per year from the EU budget to be earmarked for biodiversity by 2027, offering enormous potential to restore and protect nature, providing this is properly invested. We are closely monitoring the negotiations around the 2028–2034 EU budget, to improve the use of EU biodiversity financing and to ensure these public funds work for – not against – nature.
EU funds should never harm nature, climate or the environment Statement of the Green 10 on the ‘do no significant harm’ principle
November 18, 2021
This statement, written together with the Green 10 and EuroNatur, outlines our main concerns about the application of the ‘do no significant harm’ principle to EU public funds. The EU intends to expand the application of this principle to a variety of
Bulgarian recovery plan improves after six-month impasse
November 5, 2021
After a six-month delay and three revisions, the EUR 6.6 billion Bulgarian national recovery and resilience plan has finally been submitted to the European Commission. Although this delay postpones its implementation, the plan is markedly improved particularly in terms of biodiversity protection, following dialogue between environmental groups and the authorities. The process shows the key role public participation can play in delivering a green recovery.
When Nature Shows the Way: supporting biodiversity for Europe’s green recovery
July 14, 2021
Biodiversity loss and climate change are the biggest environmental threats we face today. To address such crises, the EU has set in place a series of climate and environmental objectives as part of the European Green Deal. However, in order to achieve
Concern for irrigation, drainage and other water management measures in national recovery and resilience plans
July 14, 2021
The briefing outlines proposals for widespread irrigation and water management measures within six central and eastern European recovery plans and explains why these measures will likely be damaging to biodiversity. These include the development of int
Estonia barely scratches the surface on green recovery
June 30, 2021
Estonia’s recovery and resilience plan was one of the last to be submitted to the European Commission. Yet despite the extra time it took authorities to develop, the plan is based on an incomplete vision of a green recovery which completely ignores the issues of biodiversity and nature protection.
Problematic measures to be addressed during the ongoing assessment of Recovery and Resilience Plans
June 9, 2021
This briefing provides a compilation of assessments of recovery plans submitted to the Recovery and Resilience Facility. The document was prepared in cooperation with Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe, EuroNatur and the European Environmental Bureau
Building back biodiversity: How EU Member States fail to spend the recovery fund for nature
May 20, 2021
This report brings together assessments of the national recovery and resilience plans of ten central and eastern European (CEE) countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary Latvia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia). It outli
Uneven progress towards green recovery as EU members submit spending plans to access EUR 672 billion fund
April 28, 2021
Brussels – EU Member States that opened up their spending plans for the EUR 672 billion Recovery and Resilience Facility have made the most progress towards the aims of the European Green Deal, finds a new assessment of eight countries in central and eastern Europe.
Opportunities for biodiversity and environment missed in Bulgarian recovery plan
April 15, 2021
Instead of reforms, the country plans to rehab an irrigation system that can potentially destroy wetlands, and without transparency and public dialogue, the plan cements business-as-usual. With a 30 April deadline for submitting national recovery plans approaching and recent parliamentary elections, the Bulgarian government is failing to propose reforms and measures for biodiversity, sustainable agriculture and low carbon economy. Instead, actions such as rehabilitating state-owned irrigation systems not only contradict national strategies but might damage valuable wetland habitats. A lack of transparency and public dialogue casts a further shadow on the process.
