The European Environmental Bureau

The European Environmental Bureau (EEB) is the largest network of environmental citizens’ organisations in Europe, comprising over 190,190 members across 141 countries. It works at EU, regional, and global levels on climate, biodiversity, pollution, agriculture, and governance, including through institutions such as the United Nations and OECD.

For nearly five decades, the EEB has worked to defend and strengthen EU nature laws. It was instrumental in protecting the Nature Directives during the Juncker-era deregulation drive, leading to their confirmation as ‘fit for purpose’. The organisation has also been at the forefront of the European Green Deal, having proposed the initiative before it became a formal Commission priority.

With support from the Ecological Restoration Fund (ERF), the EEB has been leading coordinated efforts to oppose the weakening of legal protections for wolves in Europe. This is crucial not only for the species itself but for preserving the integrity of the EU’s flagship nature law—the Habitats Directive.

The ERF’s first grant supported EEB’s Defending Wolves and Nature Laws project, focused on promoting coexistence and resisting the downgrading of wolf protections. In response to growing political pressure, the ERF has now awarded a second grant to help EEB and partnering NGOs WWF EU, ClientEarth and BirdLife EU to launch the Hands Off Nature campaign.

This new campaign aims to defend the Habitats Directive and related nature laws from broader legislative weakening, counter deregulation efforts, and push back against the shrinking space for civil society. The campaign will run alongside EEB’s continued efforts to support coexistence strategies, legal advocacy, and mobilisation across its network.

This support reinforces the urgent need to maintain strong, science-based environmental laws at a time when they are increasingly under threat—and to ensure nature remains protected at both EU and national levels.