Biodiversity

Irish Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications signed a letter with 10 of his European counterparts, calling for the Environment Council to pass the Nature Restoration Law on 17 June.
15-05-2024

Supporters rally for Nature Restoration Law, but no sign of movement in Council

Est. 3min

Yesterday (Tuesday 14 May) environment ministers from 11 national governments wrote to their counterparts across the EU, urging them to adopt the law at the next Environmental Council meeting on 17 June.

17-04-2024

‘A huge, huge, huge mistake’ Teresa Ribera warns against rejecting Nature Restoration Law

Est. 4min

Spanish Vice-President and Ecological Transition Minister urged EU countries to save the beleaguered Nature Restoration Law, in an exclusive interview with Euractiv in Brussels on Friday 12 April.

Opposition to the Nature Restoration Law has hardened in Warsaw, Helsinki and Brussels in recent weeks
05-04-2024

EU Council position hardens against Nature Restoration Law

Est. 3min

Poland and Finland have resisted pressure to support the divisive Nature Restoration Law and instead switched to becoming explicit opponents, seriously limiting the Belgian EU Council Presidency’s options for moving the file forward.

Virginijus SINKEVIČIUS (European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, EUROPEAN COMMISSION)
25-03-2024

Environment ministers rally to save nature restoration law – but Hungary remains defiant

Est. 3min

14 countries including Germany, France and Spain called for a quick adoption of the EU’s flagship nature protection policy during today’s (Monday 25 March) Environmental Council meeting in Brussels. But opponents of the law - including Hungary who joined their ranks last week - remained defiant.

The nature restoration law aims to preserve 30% of Europe’s land and sea for biodiversity
22-03-2024

Nature restoration law fails to secure support at critical member states meeting

Est. 1min

Hungary’s last minute decision to withdraw support for the proposal means that the law’s future is uncertain. A planned vote during Monday’s (25 March) meeting of national environmental ministers is now postponed.

22-03-2024

As the political biodiversity push falters, legal enforcement continues

Est. 5min

On Wednesday 13 March, the European Commission published the latest list of infringement proceedings against Member States. Most of the alleged failures to implement EU environmental law concern the bloc’s biodiversity rules.

Climate change 11-03-2024

Europe must do more to adapt to climate change, says EU environment agency

Est. 4min

Europe needs to take immediate action to address the rapidly increasing climate challenges, the EU's environment agency said in its first European Climate Risk Assessment (EUCRA), published on Monday (11 March), which identified 36 major risks.

27-02-2024

Contested Nature Restoration Law passes EU Parliament, despite last-minute revolt

Est. 5min

A coalition of centre-right, far-right and national conservative EU lawmakers have failed to vote down the EU’s controversial nature restoration law amid a surge of farmers’ protests and European elections looming.

Industrial site near Brussels shows microplastic pollution in action

Est. 5min

As the European Parliament works on a revision of the regulation on microplastics, EU lawmakers and NGOs travelled outside Brussels to see for themselves the scale and impact of plastic pellet pollution on site.

16-02-2024

New biodiversity policies demanded for EU’s green, prosperous growth

Est. 5min

Ambitious new nature and biodiversity policies are needed, say environmental stakeholders. Activists are calling for the European Commission’s proposed Nature Restoration Law to set strong biodiversity targets, just as the Green Deal set robust climate targets.

Agrifood 13-02-2024

NGOs slam France’s plans to adopt EU method for measuring pesticides risk

Est. 5min

France will put on hold the rollout of its national plant protection reduction plan and may adopt an EU measurement indicator to measure a molecule toxicity factor despite criticism from NGOs.

Politics 08-02-2024

EU threatens Portugal with sanctions over conservation failings

Est. 2min

The EU Commission started legal proceedings against Portugal at the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) on Wednesday in two individual cases for its alleged failure to comply with a ruling on the conservation of sites considered Special Areas of Conservation and threatened sanctions.

Agrifood 06-02-2024

EU Commission chief to withdraw the contested pesticide regulation

Est. 4min

In a major blow to the EU's Green Deal and Farm to Fork framework, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Tuesday (6 February) that she will withdraw the Sustainable Use Regulation (SUR), which sought to halve pesticide use by 2030.

08-01-2024

Europe’s rivers at risk due to hydropower plants, human interference

Est. 5min

While only around a third of the world’s rivers “remain free flowing,” according to campaign group International Rivers, the situation is worse in Europe, where the number of ‘wild’ or free-flowing rivers can likely be counted on both hands.

Indonesia, Malaysia seek more time to implement EU anti-deforestation law

Est. 8min

While big producers of palm oil, cocoa or coffee are ready to implement EU’s newly adopted anti-deforestation regulation, governments in Malaysia and Indonesia say more time is needed for small producers to meet the EU's bureaucratic requirements.

21-09-2023

Top EU court finds Berlin failed to protect nature

Est. 3min

More than a decade after EU-wide nature reserves were created to protect the continent’s most vulnerable species, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) found on Thursday (21 September) that Germany failed to adequately protect them.

High seas treaty moves closer to reality with first signatures

Est. 4min

Nearly 70 countries at the United Nations on Wednesday (20 September) signed a first-ever treaty on protecting the international high seas, raising hopes that it will come into force soon and protect threatened ecosystems vital to the planet.

Agrifood 14-09-2023

Highly invasive fire ant reaches Europe, scientists call for urgent action

Est. 5min

Scientists are urging national and EU authorities to take swift action against the rapid spread of the fire ant, a highly invasive species with the potential to cause major health and environmental damage.

Economy 01-09-2023

EU watchdog monitors surge of cash going into biodiversity funds

Est. 2min

The surge in money going into biodiversity funds is the "next frontier" of environment, social and governance (ESG) investing and warrants increased monitoring to avoid greenwashing, the European Union's securities regulator said on Thursday (31 August).

World nations debate future of deep-sea mining in Jamaica

Est. 5min

Nations opposed to deep sea mineral mining and those in favor of exploiting the oceans' depths butted heads in Jamaica on Wednesday (26 July), with both sides arguing their position would help protect the planet.

EU kicks off decisive talks on contested nature restoration law

Est. 5min

EU negotiators met on Wednesday (19 July) to hash out the details of the EU’s Nature Restoration Law, following a nail-biting victory for the proposal in the European Parliament last week.

Parliament backs EU nature restoration law, despite right-wing opposition

Est. 5min

Lawmakers in the European Parliament voted in favour of the EU Nature Restoration Law on Wednesday (12 July), defeating a right-wing attempt to reject it and paving the way for discussions with EU countries to finalise the contested legislation.

Politics 12-07-2023

Irish MEPs break ranks with EPP to support nature restoration law

Est. 3min

Irish members of the conservative European People’s Party (EPP) Seán Kelly and Deirdre Clune will not support their group’s rejection of the EU’s Nature Restoration Law, the MEPs announced on Tuesday, less than 24 hours before the decisive vote in the European Parliament.

Politics 11-07-2023

Spain, Commission urge MEPs to adopt ‘comprehensive’ nature protection vision

Est. 2min

The European Parliament should adopt an "integral and holistic vision" on nature and the environment because these are issues that affect society and future generations, Spanish Ecological Transition Minister Teresa Ribera and European Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius urged on Monday.