On Thursday 2 February, representatives of IEEP’s network of think tanks Think Sustainable Europe met with Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius to discuss the great benefits of the upcoming Nature Restoration Law in Europe, in the afterglow of a successful COP15 in Montreal.

Earlier this year, IEEP and Ecologic Institute published a series of thematic policy briefings on the numerous benefits that nature restoration can provide for biodiversity and climate, but also for socio-economic welfare and urban resilience. Building on the momentum created by the negotiations on the Nature Restoration Regulation (NRL), Think Sustainable Europe (TSE) presented the Commissioner with key recommendations from those briefings, which had already aroused great interest both in the Commission and in the European Parliament as TSE was quoted as contributor to the draft report presented to the ENVI Committee by the law’s rapporteur.

Together with colleagues from Ecologic Institute, Stockholm Environment Institute, IDDRI and TMG, the discussion focused on issues relating to the NRL, pesticides, food security, as well as the social impact of the proposals. TSE presented suggestions for guidance to member states on NRL implementation, funding, and monitoring, pointing out the benefits of nature restoration.

Commissioner Sinkevičius also showed enthusiasm regarding the 2023 edition of the European Green Deal Barometer, which will be launched by IEEP in March. With the support of the TSE network and Think2030 partners, the Barometer can provide a reliable account of the Green Deal implementation status at the European and national level. This year’s edition will also look at the international spillover effects of the Green Deal.

The European Green Deal Barometer prepared by IEEP with the help of the Think2030 platform provides a unique source of information from sustainability experts, from across the Union and the globe, on the progress of the Green Deal agenda. It represents a very useful supporting tool for EU policy-makers to plan future EU initiatives aiming at a green and fair transition.

EU Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius

The think tank network Think Sustainable Europe (TSE) brings together 17 leading sustainability think tanks from across Europe in a meaningful collaboration. With the urgent need for evidence-based decision making in Europe, in 2019 IEEP brought together leading sustainability think tanks to provide policymakers across the continent with sound, science-based analysis and recommendations. Think Sustainable Europe is the first and only established European network of think tanks on sustainability, with the mission to increase the ambition of policymakers on the European Green Deal implementation.

Think Sustainable Europe is also the idea generator behind Think2030, an evidence-based, non-partisan platform of leading policy experts from European think tanks, civil society, the private sector and local authorities. The platform meets once every two years and organizes preparatory events toward the bi-annual conference, including national dialogues in the countries of the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU. This year, SEI will host the flagship Think2030 Dialogue event in Sweden, co-organised with IEEP and in association with the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU.

© European Commission, 2023