WWF Central and Eastern Europe

ended

EU policy, legislation and funding programmes are central to WWF-CEE’s efforts to “Save the Green Heart of Europe”, i.e. to conserve many of Europe’s most valuable remaining rare species and areas of wilderness, forests, rivers and wetlands in Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Ukraine and Moldova. The FY2023 work programme contributes to all 21 specific objectives from the FY2024-25 FPA (including for organisational development). Focus is on the implementation of relevant policies under the EU Green Deal as well as the EU Nature and Water Framework Directives in order to ensure the sustainable management of forests and river basins, and to maintain or improve the status of key species including large carnivores, bison and sturgeon. We will engage national authorities to make ambitious pledges on meeting the 30% protected areas and 10% strict protection target of the Biodiversity Strategy. Climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts are focused on national policy-making as well as biodiversity safeguards for renewable hydropower and biomass. We will also advocate for integrating biodiversity and climate targets into sectoral decision-making, including transportation and other infrastructure, forestry, water and basin management, as well as funding measures under the Operational Programmes, the Common Agricultural Policy and National Recovery and Resilience Plans. In case our advocacy efforts will not be successful, we will bring violation of EU environmental policies to the attention of the EU Commission, national courts and the public. In support of these efforts and to mainstream environmental work in societies of CEE countries, we will engage the general public, especially youth, as well as business in taking action for biodiversity and climate.