EU’s Nature Restoration Regulation supported by Member States - Regulation into force in July-August
The EU’s Nature Restoration Regulation received a qualified majority of votes at the European Union Environment Council on Monday 17 June. The Regulation will enter into force in July-August. The Member States must submit their national restoration plans within two years from the entry into force of the Regulation.
Finland could not support the outcome of the negotiations and voted against the Regulation because of the proportionately higher costs for Finland compared to other Member States. During the negotiation process Finland worked hard to influence the content of the Regulation, in close cooperation with other Member States.
In the negotiations Finland’s main focus was on matters where the implementation costs for the country could be reduced. Finland considered that the different circumstances of the Member States should be better accounted for and more flexibilities should be allowed in the implementation. With the amendments proposed by Finland, the costs are now more reasonable.
“Now we must find the means to implement the Nature Restoration Regulation in the Finnish conditions in a way that is as cost-efficient as possible and suited to our economic activities. The Regulation is now more acceptable for us than the earlier versions, but we still could not support the outcome as the costs could have been distributed more fairly. However, the need to moderate the costs and act more fairly was widely recognised and supported, which means that this should be reflected in the implementation,” says Minister of Climate and the Environment Kai Mykkänen.
The European Parliament approved the Nature Restoration Regulation on 27 February. The Regulation will enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. The Member States must submit their National Restoration Plans within two years from the entry into force of the Regulation. In Finland the process to formulate the Restoration Plan under the Nature Restoration Regulation has been started by launching studies on the most relevant themes.
Nature Restoration Regulation aims to halt biodiversity loss
The aim of the Nature Restoration Regulation is to improve a broad range of ecosystems in different kinds of environments, both in protected areas and outside these. The Regulation introduces binding targets and obligations to improve the state of nature in different kinds of habitats. The measures should cover at least 20% of the EU’s land and sea areas by 2030 and all ecosystems in need of restoration by 2050. The types of ecosystems covered by the Regulation include mires, wetlands, meadows, waters, forests, agricultural environments, pollinators and urban environments.
The European Commission gave a proposal for a Regulation on nature restoration in June 2022. The proposed Regulation is part of the EU Biodiversity Strategy, which aims to halt the loss of biodiversity and reverse its negative trend by 2030.
Inquiries
Lyydia Ylönen (political questions)
Special Adviser to Minister Kai Mykkänen
tel. +358 50 476 1341
lyydia.ylonen@gov.fi
Olli Ojala (content of the Regulation)
Senior Ministerial Adviser
tel. +358295250039
olli.ojala@gov.fi
