This Regulation aims to restore ecosystems in order to ensure biodiversity, resilience, and contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation. It establishes a framework within which EU Member States must set effective and area-based restoration measures to cover at least 20% of land and sea areas by 2030 and all ecosystems needing restoration by 2050 at the EU level. Key objectives of the Regulation include restoring degraded ecosystems, supporting climate change mitigation, adaptation and land neutrality goals, enhancing food security, and meeting international commitments (Article 2).
The Regulation identifies restoration areas to include terrestrial, coastal and freshwater ecosystems (Article 4); marine ecosystems (Article 5); urban ecosystems (Article 8); natural connectivity of rivers and natural functions of the related floodplains (Article 9); pollinator populations (Article 10); agricultural ecosystems (Article 11) and forest ecosystems (Art 12). Member States are mandated to contribute to the Union-level target of planting at least 3 billion additional trees by 2030 when identifying and implementing the restoration measures to fulfil the objectives and obligations set out in Articles 4 and 8 to 12 (Article 13). Additionally, Member States must develop national restoration plans, conduct monitoring, and consider scientific evidence to achieve set targets (Articles 4-13).
In addition, Article 25 of the Regulation amends Article 7(8) of Regulation (EU) 2022/869, by changing the first paragraph to read: “With regard to the environmental impacts addressed in Article 6(4) of Directive 92/43/EEC, Article 4(7) of Directive 2000/60/EC and Article 4(14) and (15) and Article 5(11) and (12) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1991 of the European Parliament and of the Council, provided that all the conditions set out in those Directives and that Regulation are fulfilled, projects on the Union list shall be considered as being of public interest from an energy policy perspective, and may be considered as having an overriding public interest.”
