The Habitats Directive and LIFE, the EU financing programme for the environment, celebrate the 20th anniversary as the two key instruments for the conservation and sustainable use of nature in the EU. According to Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik, in the past two decades, the EU has made great progress, and there is much to celebrate, but nature still needs our help.
 

The EU celebrates on the 21 of May 2012 the 20th anniversary of two key instruments for the conservation and sustainable use of nature in the EU: the Habitats Directive and LIFE, the EU financing programme for the environment. EU Member States unanimously adopted 20 years ago the Habitats Directive to safeguard the most threatened species and habitats across Europe and set up the Natura 2000 network of protected areas; the LIFE financial instrument has provided strategic support to its development.

Among the most relevant achievements of the Habitats Directive these past 20 years, the European Commission highlights the Natura 2000 network, which contains more than 26,000 protected sites that grows every year, over an area equivalent in size to Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic combined. Almost 18% of the EU's territory is now included in the network, along with 200,000 square kilometres of protected areas at sea. Regarding LIFE instrument, it has contributed over €1.2 billion to the management and restoration of over 2,000 Natura 2000 sites across the EU.

The European Commission celebrates the anniversary with the launching of the brochure on the Habitats Directive, showing the real EU added value of this legislation in all Member States. In addition, celebratory events take place all over Europe; special events in numerous Natura 2000 sites in EU Member States, and over 300 LIFE events have been planned. A key conference will take place in Belgium in October 2012.