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The Baltic has several unique features, comprising a mixture of saline and fresh water and a shallow depth, enabling a broad variety of habitats. Its fish species are rather limited in number, with the bulk of fish stocks spread among cod, herring and sprat. The sea's characteristics make it particularly vulnerable to environmental changes and many habitats and species of the Baltic Sea are not in good condition. The environmental deterioration is caused by several factors, including excessive nutrient ...

During its November session, Parliament will discuss the results achieved at the 16th meeting of the parties (COP16) to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the main international instrument on biodiversity protection. The conference was held in Cali, Colombia, from 21 October to 2 November 2024.

The Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Framework (GBF), adopted in 2022, aims to drive global biodiversity conservation through 23 targets and four overarching goals. As COP16 approaches in October 2024, the study looks at overall progress in implementation since COP15 and examines the major issues at stake, including a review of the state of implementation at national level, establishing a financial mechanism and adopting a multilateral agreement on digital sequence information. This document was ...

The EU's common agricultural policy (CAP) has, over several decades and through successive reforms, devoted increased attention to the environment. This has led to the current CAP having a 'green architecture', which includes both mandatory elements – to which farmers must adhere in exchange for a full amount of direct payments – and voluntary elements – bringing extra payments for farmers engaging in farming practices that go beyond the basic requirements. Mandatory requirements, also referred to ...

The green transition aims at creating a sustainable and carbon-neutral economic system. Key to this transition is the change from fossil fuel based energy production and mobility to carbon emission free technologies. The transition also entails a switch to more sustainable land-use practices, including sustainable agriculture. The EU has committed itself to the green transition and is supporting its partners in their paths to sustainable economies through development cooperation. However, large ...

On 5 July 2023, the European Commission proposed regulations on the production and marketing of plant reproductive material (PRM) and of forest reproductive material (FRM). The proposals aim to ensure the availability of high quality PRM and FRM, improved sustainability of new varieties and the preservation of genetic diversity that could be vital for adapting EU agriculture and forests to future climate change. The Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI) adopted its reports on 19 March ...

During its February II plenary session, the European Parliament is expected to vote on the provisional agreement reached in trilogue on the 'nature restoration law', which aims to bring degraded ecosystems back to health across the EU. The agreement, endorsed by the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) on 29 November 2023, substantially amends the text originally proposed by the European Commission.

As announced in the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030, on 22 June 2022 the European Commission tabled a proposal for a nature restoration regulation. The proposed regulation would set multiple binding restoration targets and obligations across a broad range of ecosystems, from forests and agricultural land to urban areas, rivers and marine habitats, complementing other existing legal instruments. Altogether, these nature restoration measures should cover at least 20 % of the EU's land and sea areas ...

On 9 January 2024, the Norwegian Parliament (Stortinget) endorsed the government's proposal to allow exploration for the possible extraction of seabed minerals on the Norwegian continental shelf. Extraction licences for businesses will require further parliamentary approval. The aim is to mine important critical raw materials that are increasingly needed for the green and digital transitions, and the defence and aerospace sector. However, these developments have raised concerns in the country and ...

The problem definition in the impact assessment (IA) appears to be well-supported by evidence. The description of the policy options is balanced, albeit sometimes lacking in detail. The assessment of the options' impacts (economic, social and environmental) is mainly qualitative, with only limited quantified estimates of costs and benefits. Data limitations and uncertainties could have been described in more detail. The IA consistently presents the stakeholders' views on the problems, their drivers ...