On 23 October 2026, the European Commission held an implementation dialogue with Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy Jessika Roswall on the Birds and Habitats Directives, as part of the stress test of the two Directives.. The stress test assesses whether the Directives remain fit to achieve their objectives cost-efficiently, including by identifying opportunities to reduce unnecessary administrative burden.
The dialogue brought together business, urban and rural stakeholders, nature users, civil society and Member State representatives. Building on preliminary insights from the stress test consultations, it focused on practical solutions and good practice examples under three topics: the application of Article 6 of the Habitats Directive, including appropriate assessment for Natura 2000 sites; policy coherence, participation, funding and governance; and species protection, derogations and the adaptation of the annexes to scientific and technical progress. The Commission has announced that a summary of conclusions will be published on the event webpage, and plans to report on the stress test by the end of 2026.
European forest owners were represented by CEPF Vice-President Carl-Anton Waldeck. He reiterated the supports the objectives of the Directives, and that the stress test is the right moment to act on their imrpovement to have them work better on the ground. European forest owners face growing legal uncertainty, which it links to case law, and that guidance and dialogue since the 2016 fitness check have not removed it. Examples from members shown where national solutions reach their limits. CEPF welcomed the Council’s position on Article 8 of the proposed Regulation on speeding up environmental assessments and asked that the stress test lead to concrete follow-up that gives legal certainty while keeping active forest management possible.
