EU countries submitted draft national plans to restore damaged ecosystems on Monday, starting the next stage of work under the EU Nature Restoration Regulation.
The regulation entered into force in August 2024 and sets legally binding targets for restoring degraded ecosystems, the European Commission noted in a latest statement on Tuesday.
The draft plans are meant to show how each Member State expects to meet restoration targets up to 2030, and to give an overview of intended actions through to 2040 and 2050.
Each plan is also expected to map links with other policy areas such as water management, climate action, agriculture, forestry, and fisheries.
Commission to review drafts within the next year
The documents submitted at this stage are drafts, and the Commission will assess them in the coming months with support from the European Environment Agency.
The Commission said it will send observations to Member States as part of a process carried out with national authorities, and final national restoration plans are due to be completed within one year.
Member states will be able to tailor plans to their national, regional and local circumstances, and can build on existing policies and measures.
The Commission’s observations on the draft plans will be made public, while member states will remain responsible for the content of their national plans.
The Commission said it is already supporting nature restoration through existing EU funding instruments, and has proposed that national restoration plans be explicitly included in a 35% climate and environment spending benchmark in the EU’s next long-term budget plan for 2028 – 2034.
