Cautionary Tales

The EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 is an element of the European Green Deal, the flagship initiative of the European Commission to address climate change and environmental degradation in the EU and beyond. Yet, too often governments in central and eastern Europe, the Balkans and the eastern Neighbourhood plow head with projects harmful to the environment and at odds with EU legislation, sometimes with the support of EU funding.
Consequently, Bankwatch conducted nine case studies in central and western Europe and the Balkans with the aim to investigate whether the cases provide a cautionary tale to the EU in formulating its new biodiversity strategy. The study illustrate why it is necessary for the Commission to use the new Biodiversity Strategy to strengthen its commitment to implementing and enforcing new legislation and policies that protect biodiversity in EU Member States and the EU’s neighbourhoods. Based on this, the publication offers a set of recommendations how the new EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 can make good on the European Green Deal.