Ethics Advice Mechanism: Valuing nature : implications for EU governance
European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies
Luxembourg: OPOCE, 2026
This Opinion by the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies (EGE) examines how human beings, communities, institutions, and legal systems value nature and translate that valuing into governance. Building on this analysis, the EGE provides policy recommendations and guidance for EU policymakers, aimed at ensuring that governance choices are both ethically sound and ecologically realistic, particularly in the context of the European Green Deal and EU’s role in the global context. The Opinion underlines that EU law and policy already recognise the importance of nature in multiple ways. The challenge is to translate these commitments more consistently into decision-making, especially under conditions of ecological interdependence, biodiversity loss, climate instability, systemic risk, and ecological limits. Therefore, the EGE recommends: the integration of multiple ways of valuing nature in impact assessment and evaluation; the consideration of new legal and institutional mechanisms for addressing ecological concerns, including effects on non-human nature; meaningful participation; responsible use of economic valuation; support for research and institutional learning; and greater coherence between the EU’s internal commitments and external action. This opinion is published in the context of the Ethics Advice Mechanism (EThAM) which provides independent ethical advice and policy recommendations to European institutions on any topics where policymaking intersects with the development of science and technology.