The laws that protect nature across Europe – the EU’s Birds and Habitats Directives (known as the ‘nature directives’) – are currently being reviewed by the European Union as part of the REFIT (Regulatory Fitness and Performance Programme) process. The review will continue until the end of 2016.
In this report, Friends of the Earth outlines its concerns that the EU may weaken these crucial laws that form the cornerstone of nature protection and restoration.
The report calls on the EU to uphold and fully implement the nature directives, address inconsistent policies that undermine biodiversity, ensure adequate funding for nature conservation, and step up action on nature restoration and connectivity.
It says that the EU has a vital role to ensure that all national governments play their part in working towards common aims to protect and restore Europe’s nature by 2020 and beyond.
