While current events highlight issues related to geopolitical instability in key areas, rising energy costs, and the possible impact on inflation, the attention of European Union citizens towards sustainability issues seems not to be waning. According to the 2026 edition of the Eurobarometer on Biodiversity, which surveyed the opinions of 26,500 Europeans in February and March 2026, over nine out of ten people recognize the importance of stemming biodiversity loss as a matter of responsibility, well-being, support for long-term economic development, and combating climate change. For 96%, we have a responsibility to take care of nature; for 94%, biodiversity and the health of nature are essential for long-term economic development.
Among the main concerns of Europeans, pollution stands out: it is considered a threat to biodiversity by an average of 90% of respondents per country. In Italy, for example, the percentage is 96%, of which 58% consider it very important and 38% quite important. Overall, the opinion seems mitigated compared to previous editions: the number who consider the impact “very important” has decreased by five points, but it still remains a priority. Other threats include human-caused damage – such as industrial disasters – at 92%, and the conversion of natural areas into territories used for other purposes (90%).
Commissioner Roswall: «Healthy ecosystems are the foundation of competitive economies»
«This year, Green Week focuses on a simple but powerful truth – said Environment Commissioner Jessika Roswall in her opening speech for the event -: healthy ecosystems are the foundation of resilient and competitive economies. And they are also essential for our security. They purify water and air, stabilize soils, pollinate crops, regulate the climate, and protect our coasts». The Environment Commissioner highlighted three conclusions: «Our businesses and our economies need the natural world; a competitive economy cannot exist on a dying planet, nor can lasting security exist on an unstable Earth; investing in ecosystems is one of the smartest economic decisions we can make».
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Restoring nature is a priority for citizens
Returning to the survey, half of the Europeans interviewed for the Eurobarometer on Biodiversity want the European Union to «restore nature and biodiversity to remedy the damage caused by human activities», considering this a priority action by the Union. The most supported local initiatives to protect and restore nature are «providing adequate financial support to directly affected parties (farmers, fishermen, land managers, and local communities)», indicated by 45% of respondents, and «establishing clear and easily understandable rules for businesses», supported by 44 percent.
Rules in application and new consultations
The regulatory theme, therefore, is also important in the eyes of citizens. Despite the Green Deal’s trajectory – the strategy launched by the European Commission in 2019 to embody the goal of climate neutrality by 2050 – having experienced a partial slowdown and some of its key provisions, such as the CSRD and CSDDD directives, having been substantially weakened by the Omnibus packages, the European Union has not abandoned legislative projects that help businesses maintain competitiveness in the decarbonization process (this is the meaning of the Clean Industrial Deal) and has persevered in protecting nature.
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