Nature restoration plan development process in EU member states: Mid-term assessment

The EU Nature Restoration Law (NRL) is a recent (2024), significant piece of nature legislation that covers all terrestrial and marine ecosystems. For its implementation, Member States are required to develop a national Nature Restoration Plan (NRP) by September 2026. The quality of NRPs will determine the law’s actual effect to restore ecosystems across Europe. The  #RestoreNature NGO coalition has developed a checklist to evaluate the preparation of restoration plans across EU Member States at mid-term, based on four criteria: science-based, inclusiveness, ambition and empowerment.

At mid-term of the preparations of the national restoration plans, NRP preparation has started in the majority of Member States, but progress is uneven and, overall, insufficient so far to secure NRPs that deliver on the ground. Across all four criteria, most countries are classified as showing “insufficient/unclear progress” or being at an “early stage”, while a small group of frontrunners prove that transparent, science-based, inclusive and better resourced drafting processes are feasible. 

Based on these findings, the #RestoreNature coalition recommends key priority actions to tackle these gaps and ensure Member States finalise the development of ambitious national restoration plans that will benefit nature and citizens.

The development of the Belgian restoration plan was analysed by the Belgian Biodiversity Coalition - the dedicated factsheet with an analysis and tailored recommendations for the regions and the federal level can be found here.