CEEweb calls for a strong environmental support

The Nature Directors Meeting organised by the Hungarian Presidency took place on the 7th-8th of June in Balatonfüred, Hungary. Such meeting of the Nature Directors are taking place once under each EU Presidency. The informal setting allows Nature Directors as well as a number of selected stakeholders to informally exchange views on topics related to EU biodiversity policies.

One important issue discussed at the meeting, held at the Anna Grand Hotel, was the recently published Commission proposal for a new Biodiversity Strategy, which sets subtargets and actions in order to achieve the EU biodiversity 2050 vision and 2020 target.

CEEweb calls for a strong support from the Environment Council on 21 June to the new strategy and its targets and actions, which it considers as an absolute minimum to make progress towards the 2020 target.

“Environment Ministers must show their commitment to safeguard biodiversity as the basis for all economy and human wellbeing. We cannot lose time ahead of the important reforms on agriculture, cohesion and fisheries policies, when the insurance for the long term development potential of the EU is at stake.” said Klara Hajdu, Secretary General at the end of the meeting.

At the same time CEEweb also pointed out at the meeting that in order to halt biodiversity loss there is a need for an absolute reduction of all environmental pressures, which requires a holistic approach for resource and land use policies. Absolute reductions of resource consumption and a transition of all land use types towards sustainability is needed, which should trigger open discussions with innovative ideas as soon as possible on EU level. (Source: CEEweb)