Unlocking Funds for Nature: a joint statement on the next EU budget
In a new joint statement, EUROPARC recognises the urgency and opportunity that the new EU budget presents to elevate biodiversity conservation efforts across Europe.
The recent joint statement, “Unlocking funds for nature: How the next EU budget must deliver for biodiversity“, signed by EUROPARC and eight other organisations, outlines critical steps for enhancing biodiversity financing in the upcoming Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF).
The European Commission’s forthcoming proposal for the next MFF marks a significant opportunity to address the persistent financing gaps that hinder biodiversity conservation.
Effective implementation of the Nature Restoration Law requires robust financial support to ensure that Member States can enforce their provisions amid stringent financial regulations and public debt reduction efforts.
The joint statement brings three strategic proposals for biodiversity financing:
1. Dedicated Biodiversity Conservation and Restoration Fund: streamline financial resources to activities directly addressing biodiversity loss, including the management of Protected Areas, habitat restoration, and biodiversity monitoring.
2. Strengthening Biodiversity Mainstreaming: legally binding biodiversity spending objectives within each funding programme, ensuring dedicated financial commitments that are not overshadowed by other priorities.
3. Preventing Harmful Investments: redirection of EU funds from projects that damage biodiversity, and enhanced enforcement of EU environmental legislation.
The document highlights the need to simplify requirements and promote project bundling to enhance access to funding by smaller and more effective conservation projects. Also, expanding the LIFE programme and integrating its best practices into other funding streams to enhance biodiversity conservation efforts across Europe.
EUROPARC echoes this call for an accurate tracking methodology focusing on dedicated biodiversity projects and their outcomes for transparent and effective financing.