The Environment Council conclusions: need for urgent measures to protect and restore biodiversity

EU environment ministers agreed on Council conclusions on tacklig biodiversity loss from 2020 onwards in the Council meeting on 19 December 2019. The conclusions emphasise the need for urgent measures to protect and restore biodiversity and to promote nature-based solutions. They also underline the importance of ensuring adequate funding to achieve the objectives. The conclusions were prepared under the Finnish Presidency of the EU. 

“The Council conclusions are an important step towards 2020, the ‘super year’ for the environment, when the countries of the world will agree on biodiversity targets. The EU is pursuing ambitious objectives to halt the loss of biodiversity and improve the state of the environment. If we commit to the objectives together, we might still have a chance to save the environment", minister of the Environment and Climate Change Krista Mikkonen said.

On the one hand, the Council conclusions are a message from EU Member States to the European Commission, which is preparing a new biodiversity strategy as part of the European Green Deal. On the other hand, the conclusions are also a message to the international community, which is due to agree on new post-2020 targets to halt biodiversity loss next year.

• Backgrounder: EU preparations for UN biodiversity targets (eu2019fi)
• Press release and Council conclusions (consilium.europa.eu)

Inquiries

Terhi Lehtonen, State Secretary to Minister Mikkonen, tel. +358 295 161 000, [email protected]

Marina von Weissenberg, Senior Ministerial Adviser, tel. ++358 295 250 321 , [email protected] (biodiversity)