Vilnius, 16/07/2013 (Agence Europe) - The EU28 environment ministers meeting in Vilnius in EU informal Council recognised, on Tuesday 16 July, the magnitude of the challenge before them - to safeguard biodiversity and ecosystem services during this time of economic crisis, and the need to make the most of the possibilities provided by the draft budget 2014-2020 for funding implementation of the EU strategy aimed at overcoming the decline in biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystem services by 2020. In addition to these possibilities - the use of CAP funds, cohesion funds, fisheries funds, Horizon 2020 funds, the LIFE programme and external relations funds - ministers also felt it would be suitable to deploy private capital by using the possibilities provided by the European Investment Bank (EIB), said Valentinas Mazuronis, the Lithuanian minister who chaired the discussion to which an EIB representative was invited, speaking before the press.
EU Environment Commissioner Janez Potocnik said that, in a difficult economic context, speaking of biodiversity funding is not an easy matter, but nature provides services free of charge. Investment of €6 billion annually needed for the protection of nature represents a return of €200 to 300 billion in services from nature, he said, pointing out that protecting the natural capital is at the heart of the green economy. Although the draft budget 2014-2020 offers opportunities to be seized upon, the ministers are aware that it is up to the member states to set out their priorities in the financing programmes in favour of biodiversity and nature, and that public funding will not be enough. The commissioner explained that partnership with the private sector is important. Such possibilities exist with the EIB and, he added, the EU wishes to encourage banks to launch attractive loans for the funding of such programmes. (AN/transl.jl)