15 
 
9. There is a 50% reduction in the number of Red List species threatened by invasive 
alien species. 
10. The losses of nutrients from fertilisers are reduced by 50% , resulting in the reduction 
ofthe use of fertilisers by at least 20%. 
11. Cities with at least 20,000 inhabitants have an ambitious Urban Greening Plan. 
12. No chemical pesticides are used in sensitive areas such as EU urban green areas. 
13. The negative impacts on sensitive species and habitats,  including on the seabed 
through fishing and extraction activities, are substantially reduced to achieve good 
environmental status. 
14. The by -catch of species is eliminated or reduced to a level that allows species 
recovery and conservation.  
 
3. ENABLING TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE 
3.1. A new governance framework 
In the EU, there is currently no comprehensive governance framework to steer the 
implementation of biodiversity commitments agreed at national, European or 
international level. To address the gap, the Commission will put in place a new 
European biodiversit y governance framework . This will help map obligations and 
commitments and set out a roadmap to guide their implementation.   
As part of this new framework, the Commission will put in place a monitoring and 
review mechanism. This will include a clear set o f agreed indicators  and will enable 
regular progress assessment and set out corrective action if necessary.  This mechanism 
will feed the Environmental Implementation Review and contribute to the European 
Semester. 
The new governance framework will ensure c o-responsibility and co -ownership by all 
relevant actors in meeting the EU’s biodiversity commitments. It will support 
administrative capacity building, transparency, stakeholder dialogue, and participatory 
governance at different levels. 
The Commission wi ll assess the progress and suitability of this approach in 2023, and 
consider whether a legally binding approach to governance is needed.  
3.2. Stepping up implementation and enforcement of EU 
environmental legislation 
All environmental legislation relies on proper implementation and enforcement. Over the 
last 30 years, the EU has put in place a solid legislative framework to protect and restore 
its natural capital. However, recent evaluations show that although legislation is fit for 
purpose, implementation on the ground is lagging behind 60. This is having dramatic 
consequences on biodiversity and comes with a substantial economic cost 61. The full 
implementation and enforcement of EU environmental legislation is therefore at the 
heart of this strategy , for which political support and financial and human resources 
will need to be prioritised.  
                                                 
60  See 2015 State of Nature in the EU report (COM (2015)219).  
61  The costs of non-implementation are estimated at EUR 50 billion per year.