Debate: EU Biodiversity Strategy for : Bringing nature back into our lives
Date: MONDAY, 7 JUNE 2021
Speaker: Virginijus Sinkevičius
Language: EN

You have raised so many important topics tonight, but in just a couple of minutes I can only address some of them. But of course, let me recall that we will, as always, provide a detailed written reply within the next few weeks.  I have heard many of you saying tonight that we should not blame farmers or foresters, fishermen, for the bad state of our ecosystems, that we have to work with them and we have to have them on board, and that they do care about their forests, their land and their seas.  Well, Mr Mato, Mr Bernhuber, Ms Zalewska, Ms Polfjärd, I could not agree more with you. This is what I have been saying in all my speeches since we adopted the biodiversity strategy last year, and never have I or any of my colleagues pointed finger to fishermen, farmers or foresters. The Commission has always said that we need them on board and we need to support them in transition towards more sustainability.  I can only agree with Mr Lins, who said that we need cooperation and inclusiveness. Yes, we do, but the consequence cannot be lowering our ambitions. The biodiversity crisis is so much advanced that we cannot lose time. Science is very clear. And as we’re listening to all stakeholders, we also have to listen to science.  And the global challenges are also huge. We can be a credible global leader only if we lead by example. So the solution can be only to go this way together, bringing all on board, listening and explaining and of course supporting those who will need to help us making this transition a success. And these are, first of all, of course, farmers, foresters and fishermen.  Over the last year, I have reached out to many of them, spoken and listened to them, and now finally I can start also visiting them on the ground. And we are supporting them through the CAP funds, through the MFF, through regional policy and through many other programmes. Ensuring the necessary funding will be one of the crucial factors for the successful implementation of the biodiversity commitments by 2030.  The MFF interinstitutional agreement, which includes a commitment to allocate at least 10% of the multiannual financial framework for biodiversity in 2026 will support the achievement of this goal. We are also developing a new tracking methodology, which we would be happy to present to the European Parliament later this year.  Let me also say a few words on forests, which were so often mentioned today. I have taken a very good note of the many interventions on forests, the last one was as well. And let me be very clear, while it is true that the overall quantity of forests has started to increase over the last years, forest ecosystems are under more and more pressure in the EU and in all Member States, and the protection of existing EU forests is absolutely crucial to achieve our climate and biodiversity objectives for 2030 and 2050.  And we are not credible in pushing any ambitious EU policy to halting deforestation and forest degradation in the Amazon or Southeast Asia if we allow for degradation in the EU old growth forests. Together with my colleagues Janusz Wojciechowski and Vice-President Frans Timmermans, we are developing a new EU forest strategy for adoption in July, building on the EU biodiversity strategy to 2030, covering the whole forest cycle and promoting the many services that forests can provide.  Today’s debate is symbolic of many discussions taking place within and between EU institutions, in the Member States and at global level. These discussions will continue and intensify over the next months and years. They will sometimes be difficult, but they are also necessary to find the right balance to deal with unavoidable trade-offs, to tap into new opportunities and to secure the richness of life on this planet.  This is our shared responsibility and I am convinced that we can only succeed if we continue on this journey together. And of course, in the work ahead, we will fully consider the European Parliament’s input. In the coming days, we will launch a public online tool, a dashboard, illustrating progress in the implementation of the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030. We also want to produce our first annual progress note later this autumn, and I would be happy to present and discuss progress at the European Parliament by the end of this year. To ensure full political ownership of the EU biodiversity strategy, the Commission will also suggest a standing progress point at the Council and at the European Parliament. I look forward to our continued close cooperation on safeguarding our natural capital in the EU and globally.