On the 23rd of October 2020, the Council of the European Union adopted its conclusions on the EU Biodiversity Strategy. EU Commissioner for Environment and Oceans, Virginijus Sinkevičius, welcomed the Council conclusions endorsing the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, especially the protection and the restoration targets. He stressed how a strong message from the Council is crucial to implement the Strategy in Member States, and to show to the rest of the world that the EU is ready to lead by example. 

We are glad that the restoration plan as well as the 30% Protected Areas (PAs) target have been endorsed, and we urge Member States not to lose precious time in the further definition of PAs, but rather to make use of pre-existing and efficient tools such as the IUCN PAs categories and the Green List for effective management. 

IUCN welcomes the Council’s emphasis on nature-based solutions  for fostering biodiversity, and their important role in climate change mitigation and adaptation. Earlier in July, IUCN launched the first ever Global Standard for Nature-Based Solutions, to be used by governments, companies, NGOs and others. Thus, stakeholders may design effective and consistent nature-based solutions projects, that are ambitious in their scale and sustainability, creating a shared language for stakeholders and facilitating innovative partnerships. We also welcome the Council’s acknowledgement that marine and terrestrial ecosystems in the EU’s outermost regions have an exceptionally high biodiversity value and should therefore be included in such efforts. In this light, we expect the European Commission to continue to support the BEST initiative, led by IUCN. 

We also welcome the Council’s underlining that a significant proportion of the 30% of the EU budget and Next Generation EU expenditures dedicated to climate action should be invested in biodiversity and nature-based solutions fostering biodiversity. Most importantly, we welcome the Council’s endorsement of the objectives of the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, and the emphasis on the need to ensure mutual support for all initiatives under the European Green Deal. This would mean also a stronger commitment for a more sustainable agriculture. In the Conclusions, the Council welcomes the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 having been launched at the same time as the Farm to Fork Strategy, and its implementation in tandem with the latter and with other policies such as the Common Agricultural Policy. However, on the same day that the Council conclusions were adopted, the European Parliament voted for a future CAP that does not align with the Green Deal.  IUCN hopes that this is only a bump in the road towards a transition for a more sustainable land use.

“If the CAP will not be fundamentally improved for nature and farmers, the Credibility of the whole EU Green Deal is at stake” said Luc Bas, Director of the IUCN European Regional Office.