Legal & Regulatory News

The European Commission adopts proposal for a nature restoration law

On 22 June 2022, the European Commission announced its proposal to introduce a new Nature Restoration Law (the Proposal) to restore the EU's natural ecosystems. The Proposal is intended to complement the EU's already established 2030 Biodiversity Strategy, which sets out a long-term plan to protect nature and reverse the degradation of ecosystems.

The Proposal promotes the importance of increasing biodiversity in our natural world, emphasising the need to build Europe's resilience to the increasing threat of natural disasters. The Proposal suggests the setting of specific ecological targets, with the overarching objective of the long-term recovery of nature in the EU's land and marine areas. These targets include: -

• the reversal of the decline of the population of pollinators by 2030 and regular monitoring of their population size;
• protecting natural forest ecosystems by creating a more conducive environment to the survival of woodland wildlife;
• ensuring that there is no net loss of green urban space by 2030, with a long-term aim to increase total green urban space by 2040-2050; and
• restoring marine habitats, such as seagrass beds or sediment bottoms, that are vital to the survival of a number of iconic marine species, such as dolphins, sharks and seabirds.

EU countries will be expected to submit ‘National Restoration Plans’ to the European Commission within the first two years of the Nature Restoration Law’s implementation. These plans will subsequently be monitored, and the European Environment Agency will draw up regular technical reports on a countries progress towards the targets set.

Click here to view the press release.

Click here to access the EU 2030 Biodiversity Strategy.