EU Biodiversity Framework: Tensions Rise in First Year of Nature Restoration Law

The first year of implementation of the EU's Nature Restoration Law has sparked significant tensions between member states and the agricultural sector.

The EU's Nature Restoration Law, which was difficult to pass in 2024, is now facing a real challenge with its first implementation phase in 2026. The law requires the restoration of at least 20 million hectares of land and sea by 2030.

To achieve this goal, member states must submit their national restoration plans to the European Commission, but this process has become a source of serious tension between member states and farming organizations. Farmers have expressed concerns that some restoration obligations will effectively limit the use of agricultural land.

Additionally, different evaluation frameworks that show how restoration measures should be prioritized in the short term compared to long-term ecological integration benefits have created a divergence of views among member states and advocacy groups. The law's passage was made possible after difficult negotiations, which followed the formation of consensus groups that turned this law into the most contentious regulation in the EU since 2019.

Environmental organizations argue that restoration targets will provide long-term benefits for sustainable eco-services and biodiversity gains. However, scientists point out that some of the questions about the economic feasibility of nature restoration targets are actually based on incorrect assumptions: restoration appears to be much more cost-effective compared to the costs of inactivity in terms of climate adaptation and economic efficiency.

This interpretation may be correct or incorrect depending on how economic calculations are framed; furthermore, it is certain that current farmers are actually taking on a real burden.