EEA Report: Europe's nature in crisis - but Commission pursues deregulation drive

Posted on September, 29 2025

The European Environment Agency (EEA)’s latest Europe’s Environment 2025 report released today is an alarming reminder of the scale of the environmental crisis in Europe: Our continent is warming at twice the global rate, biodiversity continues to collapse, and natural resources are under severe strain. Over 80% of protected habitats are in poor or bad condition, 60- 70% of soils are degraded, and only 37% of Europe’s surface waters achieve good ecological status.

Yet - in direct contradiction to the report’s findings - the European Commission is pursuing its environmental deregulation agenda, jeopardising decades of legislative advances on deforestation, nature protection and restoration. The announced delay of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) is just the latest example of this trend, and more weakening is expected under the upcoming environmental omnibus regulation.

“The EEA’s report shows – once again – that Europe simply cannot afford to dismantle the very laws that protect its people, nature and economy. Delaying the EU Deforestation Regulation or weakening our nature and water laws would be historic and irreversible mistakes. Instead, full implementation and enforcement is essential to secure Europe’s competitiveness, food and water security, and wellbeing of its citizens,” said Ester Asin, Director of WWF European Policy Office.

Europe’s citizens do not support this. In a recent consultation, nearly 200,000 people expressed their strong opposition to any attempt to dismantle the laws that safeguard our nature, water, forests and well-being. Policy-makers must heed these calls.

With three-quarters of euro area companies critically dependent on ecosystem services, nature loss is eroding Europe’s competitiveness and resilience. The human and economic costs of climate change and nature loss are escalating, with weather- and climate-related disasters causing losses of EUR 738 billion in the EU between 1980 and 2023 and EUR 162 billion from 2021 to 2023 alone, floods and droughts devastating communities and agriculture, and thousands of lives lost every year.

The report also demonstrates that strong environmental policy delivers: We have seen emissions cuts of 37% since 1990, a doubling of renewable energy since 2005, and reduced premature deaths from air pollution.

However, trends on land-use, biodiversity loss, water pollution, global impacts from EU consumption and climate risks to the economy are deeply concerning and inextricably linked to Europe’s economic prospects, security, health and quality of life. The EEA therefore calls for a “fundamental rethink of how we manage the relationship between our economy and the natural environment” and concludes that “only by restoring Europe’s natural environment will we be able to maintain a high quality of life for citizens.”

“This deregulation madness must stop now. Citizens are demanding strong nature protections, businesses need a predictable policy framework, and the science is clear: Europe’s prosperity and security depend on the health of our nature. EU leaders must double down on making our laws work rather than dismantle them, and invest in the very foundations of our future,” concluded Ester Asin.