European Business & Nature Summit 2020: Green economic recovery to reshape business for nature and people

Today and tomorrow, the European Business & Nature Summit takes place virtually. Organised by the EU Business@Biodiversity Platform of the European Commission and other partners, and with the participation of Commissioners Sinkevičius and McGuiness, the Summit aims to strengthen the growing movement of companies across Europe and beyond that are putting nature and people at the centre of their recovery strategies. Opening the Summit, Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius, said: “Over half of the world’s economy depends on nature, and yet, for too long, we have removed nature from the business equation. With the European Green Deal, it’s time for a different approach – to better measure the business impacts and dependencies on nature and bring the concern for nature in company boardrooms. Today’s conference will help us grasp the scale of the efforts needed and further intensify our actions for the establishment of an international natural capital accounting initiative.” Gathering large, small and medium-sized companies, business frontrunners, financial institutions, and other stakeholders, the Summit is a forum to promote ways for businesses to integrate natural capital and biodiversity into the corporate decision-making and contribute to the recovery of nature. “Nature is capital and sustainability may become the strongest currency of the future. I very much welcome this conference that gathers stakeholders that recognise the crucial role of biodiversity in Europe’s economy. Our commitment to deliver on the Green Deal requires mobilising at least half a trillion euros per year of additional investments in the EU. The momentum for our renewed Sustainable Finance Strategy could not be better. I trust that with decisive and collective action we will manage to reverse the unprecedented implications of the current biodiversity crisis”, said Commissioner for Financial Services, Financial Stability and Capital Markets Union, Mairead McGuinness. The Commission presented its EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 last May, part of the European Green Deal, stressing the need to protect nature in Europe and around the world as an important element of our social and economic wellbeing, and proposing various actions and initiatives. More information is available here.