Nature Conservation and EU Financing – Challenges, Best Practices and Options

Summary of a workshop held on 10th of October in Bratislava, Slovakia

The final Evaluation Study to support the Fitness Check of the Birds and Habitats Directives, published July 2016, highlights that insufficient funding is one of the greatest barriers to the effective implementation of the Nature Directives, and, thereby, the overall protection of biodiversity.

Input from the audience to the discussion - Photo: Adriana Kušíková
SOS/BirdLife Slovakia briefing the participants - Photo: Adriana Kušíková
The European Commission presenting its ideas on the panel - Photo: Adriana Kušíková

Therefore – and also with regard to the upcoming reform of the EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework – NABU, together with SOS/BirdLife Slovakia and BirdLife Europe, organized a workshop in Bratislava to deliberate and discuss the existing funding deficiencies and ideas for future nature conservation financing.

More than 80 participants attended the workshop in Slovakia, the current holder of the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union. In the morning session, representatives from the European Commission and Member State governments shared their views on nature financing from EU funds. In the afternoon session, practitioners and stakeholders presented case studies from different Member States, sharing experiences and challenges. Subsequently, together with participants, possibilities for different measures on how to meet these challenges were discussed.

0.6 MB - Workshop Summary

0.6 MB - Zhrnutie workshopu

3.4 MB - Invitation Workshop Bratislava

3.4 MB - Pozvánka workshopu