On behalf of Guy Pe'er (at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ and the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) in Leipzig) and a team of over 20 scientists who wrote an open letter last summer in support of the EU's Nature Restoration Law (NRL), the Sustainable Use Regulation (SUR) and the European Green Deal, we'd like to share the following information with you:

In an open letter, 6,000 signatories provided strong arguments in favour of these laws and against misinformation. The team has received many indications that the message was very effective and contributed to the success of the NRL in Parliament and in the Trilogue negotiations.

Unfortunately, nothing could be done to save the SUR from being rejected. However, you may also be aware that pressure against the Green Deal has since increased rather than eased. EU decision-makers are watering down or scrapping one environmental regulation after another.

In this new and even worse context, the NRL is stuck just before the final approval stage by the European Council of Ministers. The last meeting under the Brussels Council Presidency, scheduled for 17 June 2024, may also be the last chance to push the NRL through.

In response to the rollback of environmental legislation in the EU, 11 scientific associations and networks published an open letter on 29 May 2024 expressing their serious concern about these decisions and calling for responsible action. The letter can be viewed here: "Expression of Concern by Scientists: Rollback of EU environmental legislation and policies jeopardises the future of EU citizens" (zenodo.org)https://zenodo.org/records/11373475

Here's how you can lend your support:

1. If you'd like to raise your voice as a scientist in support of nature restoration, you can do so through the EuropeForNature initiative – where you can publish a short story and sign a petition for ambitious nature restoration. Link here: https://europefornature.eu/
2. If you'd like to raise your voice as a citizen, you can sign a petition led by Jutta Paulus (EU Greens). Urgent! Your voice for nature! https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/natur-retten/ As it is led by a political party, the petition will only be published after the EU elections (i.e. in the short period between 10 and 16 June) to ensure it is not perceived as part of the election campaign.
3. If you are a board member of a scientific society that might be interested in joining the open letter, or if you have close contacts with members of such a society or network, you could invite them to still join the open letter. The opportunity for additional societies to join remains open in the coming days.
4. If you know any journalists, please let them know about point 3.