Every day, the EU makes decisions that affect our natural world. Many policy debates and issues may seem unrelated to the fight against the climate crisis and nature loss at first glance, but they can significantly impact these areas.

'Governance' refers to the process of making policy choices, determining who makes these choices, how they are implemented, and who is held accountable. While this may sound technical, it is vital to ensure that all EU policies consider their environmental impacts. Without this, the EU's goals of reversing nature loss and limiting global warming to 1.5°C cannot be achieved.

WWF is working in various ways to promote good governance in EU decision-making:

• 2024 EU Elections and the European Union's Leadership

WWF’s campaign for the 2024 EU elections aims to provide political leaders with key recommendations central to tackling the climate and biodiversity crises. The campaign also equips citizens with tools to help them make informed choices as they head to the polls and witness political promises unfold over the next five years. Our European Parliament scoreboard analyses the voting records of political parties during the 2019-2024 legislature, while our EU elections check, developed through a survey sent to EU political parties, shows where policymakers stand on critical climate and environmental issues affecting EU citizens.

• Report on subsidies harming nature

Every year, European countries use between €34 billion and €48 billion of EU subsidies in ways that damage the environment. With Europe facing a severe cost of living crisis, these figures highlight the urgent need for change. The EU’s biodiversity goals require €48 billion annually to finance activities by farmers, landowners, and rural and coastal communities to effectively protect and restore nature—but we're currently falling short by over €18 billion. It's time to redirect harmful subsidies towards activities that support biodiversity and sustainability, ensuring no one is left behind in this transition.

• European Parliament 2024-2029

WWF aims to ensure that European policies and laws align with the ambitious goals necessary to address the climate and biodiversity crises effectively. This includes focusing on climate neutrality, deforestation, nature restoration, sustainable finance and international partnerships. Over the next five years, the EU must prioritise redesigning its economy to reduce fossil fuel dependency and leverage the benefits of healthy ecosystems. This transformation must also address inequalities, ensuring vulnerable communities and small businesses are not disproportionately affected. Sustainable living should be accessible, affordable, and appealing to all.