BirdLife Europe & Central Asia

Illegal bird killing: Governments are not on track. Today, we attended the joint meeting of the Bern Convention Network of Special Focal Points, and the CMS Intergovernmental Task Force on Illegal Killing,Taking and Trade of Migratory Birds in the Mediterranean, supported by the European Commission.

During the meeting, findings confirmed that illegal bird killing has not declined substantially since 2020 - a worrying reality that echoes the evidence showed in Killing 3.0, last year's report by BirdLife International and @euronatur.bsky.social.

Illegal bird killing: Governments are not on track. Today, we attended the joint meeting of the Bern Convention Network of Special Focal Points, and the CMS Intergovernmental Task Force on Illegal Killing,Taking and Trade of Migratory Birds in the Mediterranean, supported by the European Commission.

Yes, we are still celebrating! 🎉 Last week we received an amazing news for nature, for wildlife, and for public health: the long awaited ban on lead in gunshot is finally here!

With this ban, birds like the Mallard, the Mute Swan and the Greater Flamingo, the Bearded and Griffon Vulture, the Grey Partridge and the Black Grouse will be protected.

Yes, we are still celebrating! 🎉 Last week we received an amazing news for nature, for wildlife, and for public health: the long awaited ban on lead in gunshot is finally here!

A bright future for the Egyptian Vulture! Our Bulgarian partner, Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds, just announced the LIFE EV Safe Return, an international project co-funded by the European Union's LIFE Programme.

Today, only 50 breeding pairs remain across Bulgaria, Greece, North Macedonia and Albania. By strengthening the protection across its breeding grounds, migration routes and wintering areas, the LIFE EV Safe Return project, gives the species a chance to bounce back and to thrive again.

A bright future for the Egyptian Vulture! Our Bulgarian partner, Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds, just announced the LIFE EV Safe Return, an international project co-funded by the European Union's LIFE Programme.

Happy World Migratory Bird Day! Today we celebrate migratory birds, and their amazing travels all around the globe.

Citizen science is a huge help in conservation. Non-professional volunteers can collect so much data on their birdwatching walks. This amount of information allows scientists to identify bird population sizes, migration routes and any other threats.

Happy World Migratory Bird Day! Today we celebrate migratory birds, and their amazing travels all around the globe.

WE WON. Lead in gunshot will finally be banned across the EU! Just now, the European Parliament approved in plenary the Commission's proposal to restrict lead in gunshot. This decision ends years of debate on one of Europe's most persistent forms of lead pollution.

Thanks to this restriction, 135 million birds at risk of poisoning and 1 million children at risk of exposure in the EU will be protected. This is a huge step towards a pollution-free Europe. Now, European countries must make sure the restriction is properly implemented.

WE WON. Lead in gunshot will finally be banned across the EU! Just now, the European Parliament approved in plenary the Commission's proposal to restrict lead in gunshot. This decision ends years of debate on one of Europe's most persistent forms of lead pollution.

Once in force, this restriction will ban lead gunshot everywhere, including outside of wetlands and in sport shooting, with a seven-year transition period. It will be applied across the EU, the European Economic Area, and Northern Ireland.

A once in a generation opportunity to restrict lead in gunshot is on the table. While the Commission’s proposal to restrict lead in gunshot is approaching the end of its scrutiny period in the European Parliament, MEP Pietro Fiocchi has tabled a new objection.

Lead is an extremely toxic substance which has no safe level of exposure. It creates unacceptable risks for wildlife, the environment, and in particular for children. The proposal takes into account socio-economic impacts, and addresses a wide range of stakeholder concerns.

A once in a generation opportunity to restrict lead in gunshot is on the table. While the Commission’s proposal to restrict lead in gunshot is approaching the end of its scrutiny period in the European Parliament, MEP Pietro Fiocchi has tabled a new objection.

🚨BREAKING: Pesticides could now stay with us forever! Today, the Council agreed on its position on new EU rules for pesticides as part of the Food and Feed Safety omnibus. Some pesticides could stay on the market despite harming nature and our health.

Marilda Dhaskali, Senior Agriculture Policy Officer, says, "EU law means that if there's a risk to health or nature, you act before the harm is done; you don't wait for damage. Today's agreement throws that out."

🚨BREAKING: Pesticides could now stay with us forever! Today, the Council agreed on its position on new EU rules for pesticides as part of the Food and Feed Safety omnibus. Some pesticides could stay on the market despite harming nature and our health.

Right now, pesticides get reassessed regularly. Regulators catch new evidence of harm and act. The Commission proposed moving away from that. Fewer regular checks mean fewer chances to catch pesticides that are dangerous, & looser rules on "grace periods" mean unsafe pesticides can be used longer.

🚨Job alert We are looking for a Philanthropy Manager for the Europe and Central Asia (ECA) region to grow our philanthropic income. Are you really good at networking and relationship-building, plus you have an itch to create a bigger philanthropy fundraising strategy? Join us!

🔥 100 days of protest to protect nature in Albania! Where are we at? When bulldozers entered the protected Vjosa Delta this May, thousands of people took to the streets of Albania to protest and demand protection for one of their most precious protected landscapes.

100 days into the protest, the danger remains; neither has the law been revoked nor has the construction project been abandoned. The protests continue! How long does it take to understand that a protected lagoon, full of life, is not an obstacle to tourism but an asset?

🔥 100 days of protest to protect nature in Albania! Where are we at? When bulldozers entered the protected Vjosa Delta this May, thousands of people took to the streets of Albania to protest and demand protection for one of their most precious protected landscapes.

🚨Job alert We are looking for a Communications Officer to join our team in Brussels. If you love crafting stories about nature, birds and how to save them, this is your place. ⌚ Full-time: 37.5hrs per week 📜 1-year fixed-term contract, extension possible 💸Salary: EUR 52,000 - 54,000 gross/year

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📣Europe finally says NO to lead in fishing weights! Today, the scrutiny period for the EU restriction on lead in fishing tackle has ended. This means that the Commission can proceed with the formal adoption, and the restriction will soon enter into force.

The restriction will protect 7mil birds, reduce risks to human health, & protect fishers & their families from lead exposure. This is a huge win. But the fight is not over. MEPs have until October 10th to assess a similar restriction proposal on lead in ammunition for hunting and sports shooting.