Policy Brief: Financing the Implementation of the Ordinance on the Restoration of Nature from an EU Co-financing Perspective

Following the decision in Parliament and the formal adoption of the Nature Restoration Regulation in the Council on 17 June 2024, it is now a matter of implementing the measures provided for therein. This policy brief looks at the financing of implementation from an EU perspective. Reference is also made to those member countries to which EU funds flow to finance relevant programmes of measures. This requires environmental and fiscal policy coordination in the multi-level system, as the benefits resulting from the conservation or restoration of ecosystems are not limited to specific regions. The desired safeguarding of conservation and restoration – for example in the form of habitat connectivity – requires good coordination across several levels and EU member countries. Existing EU financial instruments are already well suited to such tasks, but must be further developed to take account of the new ambitions of the Restoration Regulation. Concrete proposals for the LIFE programme and other programmes, including those of the Common Agricultural Policy, are presented here. The policy brief also provides an overview of the complementary financing instruments of the federal and state governments and discusses emerging approaches to co-financing restoration measures.