On 19 January 2010, the European Commission marked the opening of the International Year of Biodiversity with the publication of a policy paper setting out future options for biodiversity policy. The aim is to launch and facilitate a debate between Member States with a view to developing a post-2010 biodiversity policy framework for the EU before the end of the year. New targets are needed, as the current EU and global biodiversity targets expire after 2010.

In this context, the Commission’s document proposes a long-term (2050) vision for biodiversity, with four options for a mid-term (2020) target – an essential step along the way towards reaching the vision- and outlines four possible targets to reach it, with different levels of ambition.

In this vision, biodiversity and the ecosystem services we get for free from nature are preserved, valued and, insofar as possible, restored for their intrinsic value, enabling them to support economic prosperity and human well-being, and averting any catastrophic changes linked to biodiversity loss.

The four options for a mid-term (2020) target to turn the vision into reality are as follows:

·        Significantly reducing the rate of loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services in the EU by 2020.

·        Halting the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services in the EU by 2020.

·        Halting the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services in the EU by 2020 and restoring them as far as possible.

·        Halting the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services in the EU by 2020 and restoring them as far as possible, and stepping up the EU's contribution to averting global biodiversity loss.

The paper also describes the extent of the biodiversity crisis and the status of biodiversity in the EU and globally, and highlights the main drivers of biodiversity loss and its implications for the environment, the economy and for society as a whole. It outlines the main achievements and shortcomings of the current policy and makes the link to the international negotiations.

Next steps

Thorough discussions with Member States, European institutions and other stakeholders will now follow. These discussions will be launched at a high-level European conference on the "Post-2010 Biodiversity Vision and Target" hosted by Spain in Madrid on 26-27 January 2010 and will continue with the aim of reaching a high level agreement in the months to come.

Based on this agreement and further work, the Commission will present, by the end of the year, a new EU biodiversity strategy aimed at reaching the agreed target.

The vision and target will also allow the EU to build a strong common position ahead of the upcoming international negotiations on a new global post-2010 biodiversity vision and target, which will be held in Nagoya, Japan in the autumn.

The European Commission’s document "Options for an EU vision and target for biodiversity beyond 2010" (COM(2010) 4 final) can be downloaded at: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/biodiversity/policy/pdf/communication_2010_0004.pdf (51kb)

Further information on EU policy in this field is available at: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/biodiversity/policy/index_en.htm