On 16 July, the European Commission will publish its first proposal for the post-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) — a decision that will shape the EU’s economic and environmental direction for years to come.
The future of nature funding and the EU-wide nature conservation efforts are at stake, along with the safety, stability, and prosperity of citizens. As Europe faces more extreme floods, droughts, and heatwaves, ecosystems are collapsing, and with them, the foundations of public health, food security, and business continuity. Without a dedicated budget to protect and restore nature, these vital efforts risk being sidelined by short-term considerations and the continuation of business as usual.
Anouk Puymartin, Head of Policy at BirdLife Europe: “Underfunding nature is not just reckless, it’s downright dangerous. The new EU budget is a critical opportunity to protect the nature we depend on and to strengthen the role of civil society to support the ecological transition. This is about more than nature, it is about building the EU’s resilience and securing long-term prosperity for all citizens”.
What’s happening?
The post-2027 MFF proposal launches a two-year negotiation that will determine the EU’s spending priorities for the next decade, at a time of multiple overlapping crises: war in Ukraine, climate breakdown, pressure on public finances, and rising social inequality.
Amid these pressures, the European Commission is planning a major simplification reform of the EU budget. The goal is to do more with less. The next MFF is expected to shift towards a more flexible, performance-oriented budgeting model, taking inspiration from the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). This includes fewer instruments, looser conditions for Member States, and an emphasis on national planning and results.
Two core funding tracks are anticipated:
- 27 national plans under shared management, giving Member States greater flexibility in budgeting and implementation.
- A centralized Competitiveness Fund, under direct Commission control, geared toward growth and innovation.
This structural overhaul brings major risks for environmental and social priorities. Decentralising funding and focusing on competitiveness risks favouring short-term national priorities, when what we need is long-term holistic planning to tackle the biggest crises of our time.
Why it matters
The future of biodiversity funding, and, by extension nature conservation in Europe, is hanging by a thread.
The upcoming EU budget reform could either cement nature as a strategic priority, or quietly strip it of dedicated funding, oversight, and political weight. Despite escalating climate impacts across Europe, biodiversity remains dangerously absent from the current policy narrative. Yet healthy nature is our best ally in both fighting climate change and in adapting to its impacts.
If biodiversity is not embedded in the MFF now, it risks being marginalised or lost entirely, with devastating consequences for Europe’s climate adaptation, food security, and long-term economic resilience.
To ensure EU citizens and nature don’t lose out in the next EU budget, four safeguards are essential:
1. Dedicated biodiversity funding
While the current MFF includes a 10% biodiversity mainstreaming target, this approach has failed to meaningfully mobilise funding from across EU programmes. Mainstreaming alone is not enough.
Nature should be identified as a priority in the next MFF with a ring-fenced budget to support ecosystem recovery, climate adaptation, and long-term resilience. Only long-term dedicated funding can guarantee that biodiversity protection is not sidelined by short-term policy shifts.
Evidence from Belgium shows that this is not only necessary but economically sound: A recent study by our Partners in Belgium Natagora and Natuurpunt, together with WWF-Belgium shows that every €1 invested in nature returns €8 to €51 to society.
2. Protect and scale up LIFE - with central management
The LIFE programme is the EU’s only dedicated environmental funding tool and has delivered thousands of successful, citizen-driven biodiversity and climate projects. It is one of the EU's most effective instruments for delivering results on the ground.
LIFE fosters ownership and dialogue between a wide range of stakeholders, including farmers, fishers, companies, universities, CSOs and public authorities for instance. This collaborative approach helps overcome polarisation and puts forward practical solutions.
But a recent leak suggests LIFE may be discontinued after 2028. This move will undermine years of progress and cooperation. The biodiversity and climate crisis require cross border and coordinated action. We, along with 1,750 scientists who have signed an open letter, call for the continuation and expansion of LIFE with central management to ensure strategic focus, impact, and accountability.
3. Phase out harmful subsidies and support resilient livelihoods
With limited funds available overall, stopping subsidies that harm the environment is essential. Between €34 and €48 billion per year in EU co-financed subsidies still support damaging practices, especially in agriculture and fisheries.[1] Phasing these out would significantly reduce biodiversity loss and unlock funds for restoration and resilience.
Over 30% of the current budget of the EU goes to agricultural subsidies. A majority of these go into area-based direct payments, disproportionately supporting the biggest farmers and landowners at the expenses of the environment.
Similarly, between 5 and 12% of EU maritime, fisheries and aquaculture funds are estimated to be channelled into subsidies that damage the marine environment. That’s twice the amount that is going into the protection and restoration of biodiversity.
Unfair subsidies in agriculture and fisheries must be redirected toward land-managers and fishers that protect and restore nature, climate resilience, and ensure fair, sustainable livelihoods. On land and at sea.
[1] https://www.wwf.eu/?13738416/Member-States-use-billions-of-EU-subsidies-to-fund-nature-harming-activities---new-WWF-study