A Call for the EU: Leading the way to 2030 with Wetlands
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Global Europe
As we close 2024, this year has been pivotal from a policy and advocacy perspective. The EU elections and the appointment of a new European Commission have marked a shift in focus, placing greater emphasis on economic competitiveness and industrial priorities. While these shifts have brought challenges for safeguarding natural ecosystems, they also underscore the urgency and relevance of wetlands, which remain critical to addressing global crises, including climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.
Wetlands: keys to EU leadership on climate, biodiversity, and sustainable development
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The coming year offers a unique opportunity to establish the EU’s first-ever Wetland Partnership with a non-EU country. This ground-breaking initiative can set a precedent for global cooperation on nature-based solutions. We urge EU institutions to view wetlands as a “win-win” solution when decarbonizing the economy, preparing for climate adaptation, mitigating disaster risks, and building societal resilience. Wetlands are the planet’s superheroes, supporting water, food security, and protection from climate extremes.
We count on the EU’s leadership to prioritize wetlands, stop their degradation, and integrate them into political and investment agendas. Together, we can ensure wetlands in Europe and beyond become powerful agents of positive change for a sustainable future.
Wetlands International Europe calls on the EU institutions and member states to prioritise the following actions:
- Establish a new cooperation instrument focusing on wetlands, EU Wetland Partnerships, which mobilizes resources, technical assistance, and knowledge exchange to achieve global climate, biodiversity, and SDGs goals.
- Position wetlands at the heart of the EU’s global efforts on water, climate, energy, and green diplomacy, ensuring they are central in advancing sustainability and resilience worldwide.
- Foster well-functioning wetland ecosystems for sustainable and resilient agriculture needs.
- Ensure that EU Strategic Partnerships on Critical Raw Materials aim to minimise environmental and human impacts.
- Integrate wetlands into the EU’s water, peace and security agenda.
