Statement: Fresh Hope for Europe’s Resilience to Climate Change as EU Parliament Makes History by Adopting First-of-its-Kind Nature Restoration Law

The European Parliament today reached a groundbreaking agreement to create a ‘world first’ legal framework to implement the EU Biodiversity Strategy as well as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. This landmark legislation – enshrined in the Nature Restoration Law – underscores the EU's commitment to reversing biodiversity loss, combating climate change, and ensuring a sustainable future for all. 

Together, this legislation aims to restore at least 20% of the EU's land and seas, reverse pollinator decline, and restore 25,000 kilometres of European rivers to free-flowing condition by 2030. This vision aligns with the European Green Deal's mission to achieve climate neutrality by the middle of this century and sends a powerful message to the rest of the world about Europe’s global leadership in biodiversity conservation.

Welcoming the outcome of today’s vote, Noor Yafai – Europe Director for Global Policy and Institutional Partnerships at The Nature Conservancy (TNC) – said:

“Today’s vote to get the Nature Restoration Law over the finish line offers fresh hope for Europe’s ability to combat the worst effects of climate change and biodiversity loss for decades to come. Despite a powerful and ongoing disinformation campaign, this vote signals that the EU Parliament does indeed recognise the vital role nature must play in protecting citizens, landowners, farmers and businesses alike from growing climate-driven risks like droughts, floods and wildfires – as well as their repercussions for the resilience of Europe’s food and water supplies.

“In particular, TNC celebrates the inclusion of the restoration of 25,000 kilometres of rivers to free-flowing condition. This target is instrumental in restoring freshwater habitats and species – too often overlooked in conservation decisions – by aligning with global commitments to protect at least 30% of our planet’s degraded ecosystems by 2030. 

“We also want to commend the industries and companies that did come out publicly in support of the Nature Restoration Law – notably Europe’s power sector, represented by Eurelectric, who joined our calls for the legislative proposal right from the beginning and also the renewables industries represented by WindEurope and SolarPowerEurope. The support from these sectors put them on the right side of history and shall not be forgotten.

“While we celebrate this win, we’re also mindful that a lot of hard work now lies ahead. The fact that some key measures to support the sustainability of farming were voted down in the negotiation process clearly shows the need for greater collaboration and understanding across all sectors of Europe’s economy and society. Agriculture depends on biodiversity, and therefore it is critical that we build stronger partnerships between policymakers, civil society, farmers, and industry to find a way to make nature protection and restoration feasible, affordable, and inclusive.”

Andras Krolopp, TNC’s Head of Biodiversity Policy for Europe, celebrated this achievement as a significant step forward after months of challenging negotiations:

"At a politically complicated time, the adoption of the Nature Restoration Law represents a triumph for nature conservation and a much-needed injection of optimism for all involved in efforts to reverse the accelerating environmental crisis. This legislation provides a crucial impetus to restore nature and propel us toward halting and reversing the trend of biodiversity loss, which threatens nature and people alike. 

“The endorsement of this groundbreaking law offers EU Member States a solid legal foundation on which to build their National Restoration Plans and translate the objectives of this EU-level law into tangible actions on the ground. TNC stands ready to support the EU and its Member States in implementing this landmark legislation.”