Alarmed by the rapid rate of loss of biodiversity and ecosystems worldwide, EU environment ministers want the EU to contribute to the success of the UN Conference on Biological Diversity (COP15, Kunming, October 2020), by enabling itself to be an example to follow.
All ministers said they were looking forward to the EU's biodiversity strategy for 2030, promised by the Commission for March under the European Green Deal.
The conclusions they adopted on Thursday 19 December on the preparations for COP15 send a clear political message on the EU's commitment to protect biodiversity and raise the profile of this important issue which, unfortunately, does not receive the same attention in the debate as climate change, stressed Finnish Minister for the Environment and Climate Change Krista Mikkonen. Conclusions on the negotiating mandate for COP15 will be adopted at a later stage.
"We are already seeing the devastating impact of unsustainable human activities on land, oceans and forests. These impacts affect our economy, lifestyles, food security, health and quality of life for the whole world. We must therefore act in a concerted manner to halt biodiversity loss and preserve our ecosystems, while seeking synergies with climate action", she added.
The EU Council calls for urgent action at all levels, everywhere in the world, to halt the loss of biodiversity and restore ecosystems.
It asks the Commission to present in a timely fashion an ambitious and realistic EU biodiversity strategy for 2030 within the framework of the Green Deal. It stresses the urgency for the EU and Member States to integrate biodiversity into all relevant sectoral policies. It also calls for the effective integration of biodiversity into the EU budget 2021-2027 and into future policies, such as the 8th Environmental Action Programme, the Climate Pact, the Circular Economy Action Plan, the Zero Pollution and Sustainable Food Strategies, the new CAP and fisheries policy.
The EU Council invites the European Commission to review all relevant regulatory and non-regulatory measures in favour of biodiversity.
The Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius, assured ministers that the request for EU commitments, already made by the Environment Council prior to COP14, had been heard.
He said the communication on an EU biodiversity strategy for 2030, to be presented in March, will include proposals for commitments. "These commitments should address the need to restore ecosystems and integrate biodiversity into all sectoral policies", he said. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)