EU civil groups urge Commission to embed nature-based solutions in climate resilience law

More than thirty organisations, including agricultural unions, water suppliers, health bodies and financial institutions, sent a joint letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Monday demanding that nature-based solutions become a “defence line” in the EU’s forthcoming Climate Resilience Framework. They argue the record-breaking heat of summer 2026, which produced the hottest June-July period on record in Western Europe and sparked massive wildfires, proves the continent is insufficiently equipped for climate shocks.

Claire Baffert, responsible for water and climate-adaptation policy at the World Wide Fund (EU), said the recent heatwaves show resilience can no longer be treated as a future issue and urged the Commission to codify its commitments. Dóra Drexler, head of IFOAM Organics Europe, stressed that practices such as crop rotation, cover cropping and organic fertilisation boost soil water retention and should be financially supported. The signatories recalled von der Leyen’s July letter to MEPs emphasizing the role of nature-based measures against heat, drought and floods, and they called for the internal Commission consultation on the framework to conclude before the end of the month.