FACE and BirdLife are marking 20 years of cooperation in support of nature conservation and the sustainable management of wild bird populations across the European Union. This long-standing partnership illustrates how constructive stakeholder dialogue and shared objectives can deliver concrete results for biodiversity.

On 2 June 2025, a high-level event took place in the European Parliament, hosted by MEP Isabel Benjumea (EPP, Spain), with the participation of EU Environment Commissioner Jessika Roswall. Their presence reflected continued political support for cross-sectoral engagement on key environmental priorities at EU level.

The event, entitled “Hunting, Conservation & Cooperation: 20 Years of FACE–BirdLife Collaboration”, highlighted the 2004 agreement between the two organisations, which recognised the EU Birds Directive as the common legal framework guiding their cooperation.

MEP Isabel Benjumea welcomed participants, stating: “It is a pleasure to host this event marking 20 years of FACE–BirdLife cooperation. This partnership demonstrates that hunters and conservationists do not represent opposing forces, but complementary approaches to sustainability. Together, they have highlighted the growing need for stronger habitat conservation across Europe”.

Jessika Roswall, European Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, added: “Twenty years ago, one of my predecessors, Margot Wallström, was present at the signing of an agreement between your two organisations; BirdLife and FACE; marking a significant shift in the relationship between the hunting and conservation communities. And here we are today, twenty years on. What a remarkable achievement! Through your collective efforts we were able to find common ground on biodiversity restoration, cherishing and preserving nature, as well as acknowledging the EU Birds Directive as the foundation for both your organisations’ commitment“.

Since its signature, the agreement has facilitated coordinated action on biodiversity restoration, the protection of migratory species, aand the effective implementation of EU environmental policies.

Laurens Hoedemaker, President of FACE, remarked:  “Cooperation works. After two decades, FACE and BirdLife have demonstrated that even diverse interests can align under a shared framework to deliver lasting outcomes for nature, governance, and rural communities. Both FACE and BirdLife have a common goal to see the sky full of birds, and we work hard to achieve this, especially on the need to improve habitats across Europe“.

Ariel Brunner, Director of BirdLife Europe and Central Asia, commented: “ The BirdLife-FACE agreement embodies the best of EU democracy. People who do not necessarily agree with each other being able to make progress towards a better future, on the basis of a shared respect for the rule of law, science and dialogue. As these values come under increasing attack, our effort is more valuable than ever”.

This anniversary provided an opportunity to reflect on progress achieved, to renew shared commitments, and to reaffirm the importance of inclusive cooperation in advancing the EU’s environmental and rural policy agendas.

All photos of the event are available at this link

For further information, please contact:
FACE – European Federation for Hunting and Conservation: communication@face.eu