EU Council applauds Countdown 2010

30 June 2009, Luxembourg. The Environment Council of the European Union is “deeply concerned” that the 2010 Biodiversity Target will not be met, but praises the Countdown 2010 initiative for the valuable experience gained in promoting and communicating the Target and encourages to make use of this experience in the future EU communication campaign on biodiversity.

Among the other points raised in the Conclusions of Council, it is of great significance that the EU Environmental Ministers have called for an EU strategy on invasive alien species (IAS) by 2010. This proposed strategy aims at establishing an EU Framework on IAS which includes aspects such as the implementation of early detection, warning and rapid response systems, as suggested by IUCN’s position statement.

The EU Council also expressed the need that a vision and targets beyond 2010 for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in the EU is defined not later than mid-2010. At global level, the EU wishes to develop key strategic principles to give its input in the review of the Strategic Plan of the Convention on Biological Diversity and contribute to the international post-2010 vision.

Ministers recognize the close link between climate change, soil degradation, desertification and biodiversity loss and ask for greater synergies in the measures adopted to tackle them. Moreover, adequate funding is requested for both the Natura 2000 network completion and the science-policy interface for biodiversity (IPBES). Finally, the Council highlighted the importance of integrating biodiversity concerns into sectoral policies.

Read the Council Conclusions