Timeline - Biodiversity

A follow-up meeting to the 16th United Nations biodiversity conference (COP16) held in Colombia in 2024 took place in Italy in February 2025. The meeting resulted in: 

• the adoption of a strategy for resource mobilisation
• the enhancement of the monitoring framework for global biodiversity goals
• an agreement on indicators to measure progress towards the goals

• EU welcomes positive outcome of COP16 biodiversity negotiations in Rome (European Commission)

The Council approved conclusions in view of the conference of parties on the convention on biological diversity (COP16) and the meetings on the Cartagena protocol and the Nagoya protocol, to take place in Cali, Colombia, from 21 October to 1 November 2024.

The conclusions serve as the EU’s general negotiating position at the meetings.

• UN biodiversity convention: EU reaffirms global pledge to protect a third of the planet by 2030 (press release, 14 October 2024)

The Council formally adopted the – first of its kind – regulation on nature restoration. This law aims to put measures in place to restore at least 20% of the EU’s land and sea areas by 2030, and all ecosystems in need of restoration by 2050.

The regulation aims to mitigate climate change and the effects of natural disasters. It will help the EU to fulfil its international environmental commitments, and to restore European nature.

• Nature restoration law: Council gives final green light (press release, 17 June 2024)

The Council presidency and European Parliament representatives reached a provisional political agreement on the regulation on nature restoration. The proposal aims to put measures in place to restore at least 20% of the EU’s land and sea areas by 2030, and all ecosystems in need of restoration by 2050. 

The regulation is an integral part of the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030 and will help the EU reach its international commitments, in particular the UN Kunming-Montreal global biodiversity framework agreed at the 2022 UN biodiversity conference (COP15).

• Nature restoration: Council and Parliament reach agreement on new rules to restore and preserve degraded habitats in the EU (press release, 9 November 2023)

The Council reached an agreement (general approach) on the proposal for a nature restoration law. The proposal aims to put in place recovery measures that will cover at least 20 % of the EU’s land and 20 % sea areas by 2030, and all ecosystems in need of restoration by 2050. It sets specific legally binding targets and obligations for nature restoration in each of the listed ecosystems – from agricultural land and forest to marine, freshwater and urban ecosystems.

The general approach will serve as a mandate for negotiations with the European Parliament on the final shape of the legislation.

• Council reaches agreement on the nature restoration law (press release, 20 June 2023)

At their December 2022 Council meeting, EU environment ministers held a policy debate on a proposal for a nature restoration regulation.

The proposal aims to help recover European habitats, 80% of which are in poor condition. The proposal would set specific legally binding targets and obligations for nature restoration in each of the listed ecosystems - from forest and agricultural land to marine, freshwater and urban ecosystems. The measures proposed would cover at least 20 % of the EU’s land and sea areas by 2030, and all ecosystems in need of restoration by 2050.

Member states would have to put in place effective and area-based restoration measures in order to reach the ecosystem-specific targets and plan ahead by developing national restoration plans, in close cooperation with scientists, interested stakeholders and the public. The proposal would also define biodiversity indicators to measures progress.

Ministers took note of the progress report prepared by the presidency and held a policy debate, focussing on the issues of ambition and the non-deterioration principle.

• Environment Council, 20 December 2022

World leaders have agreed on new ambitious targets and goals to protect and restore nature by 2030 and beyond. The United Nations conference on biodiversity (COP15) saw the adoption of the historic Kunming-Montreal global biodiversity framework which includes clear, measurable goals and targets, as well as monitoring, reporting, and review arrangements to track progress on these.

• EU at COP15 (European Commission)

The EU and the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS) support the adoption of an ambitious, comprehensive and transformative post-2020 global biodiversity framework to halt and reverse biodiversity loss at the United Nations Biodiversity Conference COP15 meeting to take place in Montréal, from 7 to 19 December 2022. 

Expectations for the landmark meeting were discussed between ministers from the European Union, Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific who gathered in Brussels at the occasion of the Joint Council of Ministers between the OACPS and the EU.

Halting and reversing biodiversity loss is critical as the alarming decline of biodiversity is threatening food security, health, economies and livelihood for billions of people. To be successful, the future framework will need to include quantifiable targets, supported by a robust monitoring and review framework and adequate means to support its implementation.

• COP15: the European Union and the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States call for an ambitious global agreement (press release, 29 November 2022)

During the October 2022 Environment Council, EU ministers approved Council conclusions that will serve as the EU’s general negotiating position for the 15th United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP 15).

The aim of the conference is to adopt a post-2020 global biodiversity framework, setting out goals to guide global actions to protect and restore nature into the next decade.

The Council in its conclusions called for the adoption of an ambitious, comprehensive and transformative post-2020 global biodiversity framework that includes long-term 2050 goals, 2030 intermediate outcomes and action-oriented 2030 targets that effectively and simultaneously address the direct and indirect drivers of biodiversity loss.

• Environment Council, 24 October 2022

The Council adopted its position at first reading on the LIFE programme for 2021-2027. The adoption of the Council's position followed a provisional agreement reached with the European Parliament in December 2020. LIFE is the EU's flagship programme for nature, biodiversity protection and the fight against climate change. From 2021, LIFE will also fund actions related to energy efficiency and renewable energy.

• LIFE programme – Council adopts its position at first reading (press release, 16 March 2021)

The Council presidency reached a provisional political agreement with Parliament on the extension of the LIFE programme beyond 2020. LIFE is the EU's flagship programme for nature, biodiversity protection and the fight against climate change. From 2021, energy efficiency and renewable energy projects will also benefit from funding via LIFE.

The agreement allocates a total financial envelope of €5.432 billion for LIFE for the period 2021-2027. This increase in budget reflects the agreement found under the EU's long term-budget (MFF) to apply an overall climate target of 30% to the total amount of expenditure from the EU's MFF and Next Generation EU recovery instrument. The co-legislators also agreed that the duration of the LIFE programme is aligned with the duration of the MFF.

• LIFE programme – Council Presidency reaches provisional political agreement with Parliament (press release, 17 December 2020)

In October 2020, the Environment Council adopted conclusions on biodiversity, endorsing the objectives of the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030. Member states recognised the need to step up efforts by addressing the direct and indirect drivers of biodiversity and nature loss. They reiterated the call for a full integration of biodiversity objectives into other sectors such as agriculture, fisheries and forestry and a coherent implementation of EU measures in these fields.

Biodiversity is our life insurance: it supplies clean air and water, food, building material and clothing. It creates jobs and livelihoods. With the destruction of nature there is also the risk of disease outbreaks and pandemics. Svenja Schulze, Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety of Germany

• Council adopts conclusions on the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030 (press release, 23 October 2020)

The Council authorised Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to endorse, on behalf of the EU, the 'Leaders' Pledge for Nature' in the context of the UN Summit on Biodiversity.

The pledge is a voluntary declaration which stresses that biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation require urgent and immediate global action and it reiterates the commitment of putting biodiversity, climate and the environment as a whole at the heart of both COVID-19 recovery strategies and the pursuit of national and international development and cooperation.

• UN Biodiversity Summit: Council sends a united signal to step up global ambition for biodiversity (press release, 21 September 2020)
• UN Summit on Biodiversity (website)

EU agriculture ministers held an exchange of views on the EU Biodiversity strategy, published by the European Commission on 20 May 2020, as part of the European Green Deal. The discussion focused on the agriculture-related aspects and the links with the ongoing reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

• Video conference of agriculture ministers, 8 June 2020
• European Green Deal (background information)
• Future of the CAP post 2020 (background information)

EU environment ministers adopted conclusions reaffirming that the EU and its member states want to lead and step up efforts to halt biodiversity loss and restore ecosystems. The conclusions provided political guidance for the work towards a post-2020 global biodiversity framework.

The Council also called upon the Commission to develop without delay an ambitious, realistic and coherent 2030 EU biodiversity strategy as a central element of the European Green Deal.

• Biodiversity - Council adopts conclusions (press release, 19 December 2019)

Environment ministers adopted conclusions expressing deep concern that the natural resource base and the ecosystem services on which humanity depends are at high risk. Ministers call for an ambitious strategic plan to protect biodiversity beyond 2020.

The conclusions set out the general political framework of the EU's negotiating position at the Fourteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Egypt in November 2018.

• Biodiversity: Council adopts conclusions (press release, 9 October 2018)

EU ministers agreed Council conclusions on biodiversity, ahead of the meeting of the parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity and its protocols held in Cancun, Mexico, from 4 to 17 December 2016. They stressed the need to act at an international level to halt biodiversity loss and to change the course towards unsafe levels for biodiversity.

• Environment Council, 17 October 2016

The Council adopted conclusions on the mid-term review of the EU biodiversity strategy. Ministers pointed out the areas where further work was needed in order to reach the targets.

• Environment Council, 16 December 2015

The Council adopted conclusions that set a target for stopping the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystems services, and restoring them insofar as feasible by 2020, and its vision for better protection of biodiversity in the EU by 2050. Ministers outlined the EU's stance concerning biodiversity protection at global level and called for reinforced mainstreaming of biodiversity objectives in cross-cutting EU policies and strategies. 

• Council conclusions on the EU and global vision and targets for biodiversity, 15 March 2010

EU ministers highlighted the importance of re-energising the political momentum with a view to strengthening efforts to protect biodiversity and adopting a revised and ambitious strategic plan for the Convention on Biological Diversity.

• Council conclusions on biodiversity beyond 2010, 22 December 2009