Several civil society organizations sent a letter to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, demanding that natural solutions be prioritized in the next legislative proposal for the European Climate Resilience Framework and asking Brussels to formalize these commitments into law.
The signatories include groups of farmers, water suppliers, municipal authorities, health professionals, citizens, in addition to financial institutions. These groups argued that the summer of 2026 demonstrated that Europe is not adequately prepared to face the impacts of climate change.
Claire Baffert, representative of the World Wild Fund (European Union) responsible for European Water Policy and Climate Change Adaptation, stated on behalf of the signatories that recent summers have proven that climate resilience can no longer be seen merely as a future problem.
Baffert recalled that the European Commission itself had already recognized the 'vital role' of nature-based solutions in protecting both communities and ecosystems against climate disasters, emphasizing the need for new laws on the subject.
This appeal came after a summer marked by maximum temperatures, with Western Europe recording its hottest June and July since existing records, coupled with large forest fires that destroyed thousands of hectares across the continent. Data cited by the organizations indicates that at least 35,000 people died in Europe due to consecutive heatwaves, a count that does not yet include the month of August.
Dóra Drexler, president of IFOAM Organics Europe, argued that natural solutions are 'essential for building climate-resilient landscapes,' using organic farming as an example. She mentioned practices such as crop rotation, cover cropping, organic fertilization, and promoting biodiversity, which help improve soil structure and its capacity to retain and infiltrate water.
Drexler insisted that the European Climate Resilience Framework must prioritize systemic and nature-based solutions, such as organic farming, and must support them with specific and robust funding. The signatories also reminded that von der Leyen advocated for strengthening European adaptation and resilience policies, stating to MEPs in July that natural solutions were crucial in combating droughts, floods, and heatwaves.
On Wednesday, during the debate on the State of the Union, von der Leyen will present guidelines for the political year. In light of this, the organizations demanded that the presented solutions be transformed into legislative proposals within the European Climate Resilience Framework, whose internal review by the Commission must occur before the end of the month.