The European political landscape has been overwhelmed in recent months with stories of division and conflict. Nature has brought us a good news story! On June 17th, the EU Environmental Council finally adopted the Nature Restoration Law (NRL), a long-awaited legislative breakthrough. Debates earlier this year at the European Parliament led to debate among our Irish MEP’s with key input by Green MEP Cíaran Cuffe and MEP Sean Kelly (EPP) being central to Ireland’s government representatives supporting the policy. While the NRL has been heralded by Minister of State with responsibility for Nature, Malcolm Noonan TD, and Minister for the Environment and Climate, Eamon Ryan TD, for its potential impact on rural Ireland and shifts in agriculture practice, the impact on cities is central to the work of GoGreen Next. The new regulation aims for no net loss of green urban space and tree cover by 2030, and a steady increase in their total area from 2030. Two key issues come to mind. Firstly, understanding citizen acceptance and participation in new initiatives and critically, to evaluate the potential impact of the NRL on health and well-being in cities. At the global level, the UN Biodiversity Conference (CBD COP16) later this year will have an optimistic tone as a result of this milestone decision. In the Irish context, the Irish Presidency of the EU in June 2026 will present a vast opportunity for new Pan-European policy frameworks to be approved. GoGreen Next aims to be part of this discourse based on evidence-based policy frameworks and an understanding of how political discourse can promote urban health for nature and the environment.
Nature Restoration Law: A European Consensus
