The public vote is open. You have until the 22 April to vote for the project you think deserves European recognition. The project which receives the most votes will be awarded with the coveted European Citizens’ Award. Read about the 25 finalists’ achievements and vote now on the Award website.  

Applications have already been through a gruelling evaluation to select the 25 finalists. Reaching the shortlist is therefore a significant achievement in itself. The finalist applications highlight the many different achievements of those involved in the management of Natura 2000 sites.

Inform your friends and colleagues about the Award and encourage them to vote! Please share information on Facebook and Twitter using the materials available on the website. You can keep up to date, follow the competition and sign up for the Award e-newsletter on the Award website.

Natura 2000 Award Ceremony – register online now!

Commissioner Vella and the members of the high level Jury will reveal the winners of the 2018 Natura 2000 Award at the much-awaited Award Ceremony on 17 May (the Thursday before Europe’s Natura 2000 Day, 21 May).

At this special event, five category winners will be awarded with their trophies, and the European Citizens' Award will be presented to the finalist who receives the highest number of public votes. The Ceremony will offer an exciting opportunity to meet all the finalists in person and share the moment when the winners are announced. In addition, it will be an opportunity to network with high-level Commission officials, experts from various organisations working on Natura 2000 and stakeholder organisations from across the EU.

Those wishing to attend the event should register via the Award website. Due to limited places, participation is on a first-come first-served basis and subject to confirmation. The deadline for registration is 3 May 2018.

The Jury

Now that the finalist applications have been selected by the evaluators, the high level Jury has the difficult task of selecting a winner for each Award category. The jury consists of five individuals representing the different actors involved in Natura 2000 management.

Daniel Calleja Crespo, Director General of DG Environment, represents the European Commission.

Adina-Ioana Vălean – Chair of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, represents the European Parliament and voters.

Roby Biwer, first Vice Chair of the Commission for the Environment, Climate Change and Energy for the Committee of the Regions (CoR), represents the regions.

Pekka Pesonen, Secretary General of COPA COGECA represents Natura 2000 users (farmers, foresters, land owners, hunters).

Ignace Schops, the President of EUROPARC FEDERATION, represents the European Habitats Forum and environmental organisations.

Get ready to celebrate the Natura 2000 Day!

On and around 21 May – Natura 2000 Day - people across Europe will celebrate the European Union's Natura 2000 network and the EU LIFE Programme. A variety of exciting events are being organised at Natura 2000 sites for members of the public and visitors.

This special day marks the exact date at which both the Habitats Directive and the LIFE programme were approved in 1992. It started out as a grassroots initiative under a Spanish LIFE project aiming to promote Natura 2000 to the general public (the project also won a previous Natura 2000 Award). The event turned out to be so popular that, in 2017, the European Commission together with the European Parliament, the Council Presidency and the Committee of the Regions officially designated 21 May as European Natura 2000 Day. It provides a unique opportunity to celebrate Europe’s rich biodiversity – and the initiatives underway to protect it.

Green Week 2018

The 2018 edition of Green Week, the biggest annual occasion to debate and discuss European environment policy, will take place from 21-25 May. It will focus on the theme ‘Green Cities for a Greener Future’

This year’s Green Week will explore ways in which cities can become better places to live and work, by showcasing approaches to improve air quality, reduce noise, better manage waste and water and protect urban nature. The Green Week will also highlight participatory approaches to urban development, networking schemes and tools for sharing best practices, engaging local authorities and citizens, and encouraging them to share their vision of a sustainable future.

Eyes on the Flyways Conference

The LIFE EuroSAP project on coordinated efforts for international species recovery is an EU funded project that marks the beginning of a new era for bird conservation in Europe. The project aims to tackle the severe threats that affect the conservation of iconic birds on a continental scale.

LIFE EuroSAP involve 13 partners and tackles the conservation of 16 of the most charismatic and threatened bird species in Europe. Current conservation measures are not adapted and their populations are in continuous decline. This project has been studying the birds’ entire life-cycle, migratory routes and threats in order to define better-adapted conservation actions.  On the 24 May a conference will be held to present the final Action Plans developed for the 16 species. The conference will be held at the Museum of Natural Sciences,1000 Brussels. 

Natura 2000 Newsletter

The winter issue of the Commission’s Natura 2000 Newsletter has just been published. The biannual newsletter presents a series of topical articles and news items on latest developments regarding the EU’s activities on nature and biodiversity in Europe, as well as the latest update of the number of Natura 2000 sites designated in each Member States.

The newsletter is available for free in six languages (French, English, German, Polish, Italian, Spanish). So why not sign up today to be on the mailing list.