EAA publishes together with its fellow members of the Living Rivers Europe coalition and Client Earth, a legal analysis of the Nature Restoration Law’s art 9 which aims to restore 25000 km of free-flowing rivers in Europe.
Restoring rivers - an important tool to restore freshwater ecosystems and enhance the angling experience!
The Nature Restoration Law has set a historic legal benchmark: under Article 9, EU Member States must restore at least 25,000 km of rivers to a free-flowing state by 2030. T
The primary means to achieve this target is the removal of artificial barriers that prevent natural river connectivity. Europe’s rivers are among the most fragmented in the world, with an average of 0.74 barriers per kilometre. These include an estimated 1.2 million structures—such as weirs, culverts, dams, and sluices—many of which are obsolete and undocumented. These artificial barriers disrupt natural water flow, degrade ecosystems, and hinder the migration of fish species.
A study of only 3% of Europe’s barriers revealed the potential to longitudinally reconnect 50,000km, demonstrating that achieving 25,000km of free-flowing rivers is both realistic and achievable. To help Member States achieve this target, the Commission will provide technical guidance to identify sites and mobilise funding.
Supporting implementation: a legal briefing for practitioners
To support the effective implementation of Article 9, a legal briefing has been jointly published by the Living Rivers Europe coalition, ClientEarth. The document provides practical guidance to national authorities, river basin managers, and policy practitioners on how to meet the Nature Restoration Law’s requirements and translate them into tangible ecosystem recovery actions.
Removing obsolete barriers is increasingly recognised as a cost-effective and ecologically robust restoration measure, helping re-establish river continuity, improve water quality, support fish populations, and increase resilience to floods and droughts.
Some Member States already have operational definitions for what barriers are obsolete.
- Portugal identified, evaluated and planned a mapping of obsolete barriers for removal
- Spain has a legal requirement to remove obsolete barriers to recover the original condition of the water public domain once the licence to operate runs out. This may be due to time expiration, lack of compliance with permit conditions, non-renewal by the concession holder or forced expropriation by river basin authorities.
European Anglers Alliance plays a key role in campaiging for free-flowing rivers
The Living Rivers Europe coalition – LRE – is composed of a broad coalition, including the European Environmental Bureau, WWF, The Nature Conservancy, Wetlands International, the European Rivers Network and the European Anglers Alliance (EAA). Together, we represent over 40 million citizens committed to biodiversity protection, particularly as freshwater species populations have declined by 84% globally since the 1970s.
The European Anglers Alliance (EAA) plays a crucial role in highlighting the urgent need to reconnect Europe’s rivers. Our underscores that free-flowing rivers are essential for healthy fish stocks, migratory pathways, aquatic ecosystems resilient to climate change and a sustainable angling experience!
More information on the LRE coalition can be found here
More information on the Nature Restoration Law can be found here