– On 10 September, 50 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs)
from seven different political groups pledged their support for the re-establishment of the
“Biodiversity, Hunting, Countryside” Intergroup. Since its first establishment in 1985, this Intergroup
serves as the key stakeholder platform within the European Parliament, enabling open cross-political
discussions between decision-makers, civil society and experts.
At the event “Dialogue on the future of Europe’s countryside”, organised by the European Federation
for Hunting and Conservation (FACE) and the European Landowners’ Organization (ELO), the
fundamental role of rural actors and the socio-economic importance of countryside activities was
confirmed. The past Intergroup’s President, Karl-Heinz Florenz opened the event and welcomed
MEPs, representatives of all major European hunting associations and landowners’ organisations. He
underlined the importance of continuing the Intergroup, which historically provided major
contributions to the political agenda during the previous parliamentary terms.
Torbjörn Larsson, President of FACE, stated: “Europe is facing many challenges regarding biodiversity,
sustainable land use and wildlife management as well as climate change. Hunters and rural actors
are key actors for the implementation of successful environmental policies. We need a platform to
discuss dedicated actions to conserve biodiversity and ensure a living countryside”.
Alain Scriban, Special Adviser to ELO, stated: “We need to help establish and maintain an ambitious
agenda for biodiversity and rural development. In that respect, the Intergroup ‘Biodiversity, Hunting,
Countryside’ will allow a fruitful dialogue between all responsible partners. It has and proved to be an
invaluable platform, which is unique at EU level. It anticipates pressing multi-factorial issues and
responses related to biodiversity, agriculture, environment, natural resource management, and
climate change in a holistic and concrete view”.
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