More than 1.25 million people across the European Union have signed a petition calling on the European Commission not to weaken existing environmental legislation, as concerns grow over proposed changes to laws protecting wildlife, water and public health, BirdLife Malta said in a statement.

The #HandsOffNature petition, which collected 1,254,722 signatures, was presented to European Commissioner for the Environment Jessika Roswall on Friday 23 October, outside the European Commission's headquarters in Brussels.

The initiative is led by a coalition comprising BirdLife Europe, ClientEarth, the European Environmental Bureau and WWF EU, with the support of more than 230 organisations across Europe.

The coalition is urging the Commission to maintain key environmental protections, particularly the Birds and Habitats Directives and the Water Framework Directive.

Support for the petition increased significantly in recent months, rising from 600,000 signatures in August to more than 900,000 by the end of September before closing at over 1.25 million.

The campaign comes amid growing pressure to revise several major pieces of EU environmental legislation.

In December 2025, the European Commission proposed an Environmental Omnibus package intended to simplify environmental legislation and reduce administrative burdens, including measures to accelerate environmental assessments for new projects.

In September, EU governments backed a negotiating position that, according to the coalition, could allow protected species to be killed or disturbed as a routine consequence of development, with their nests and eggs also destroyed.

The Commission has also announced plans to revise the Water Framework Directive, which provides the main EU legal framework for protecting rivers, lakes and groundwater. Meanwhile, it has launched a review, or "stress test", of the Birds and Habitats Directives.

Environmental organisations argue that weakening these laws would undermine protections at a time when Europe is facing increasing pressure on its natural environment. They also point to the Commission's 2016 assessment, which concluded that the Birds and Habitats Directives were fit for purpose.

The campaign has highlighted the importance of nature protection in tackling the consequences of extreme weather.

Kaat, a farmer who runs a small communal farm near Antwerp, said she had experienced record droughts, a deadly flood and 17 heatwaves during her 10 years of farming.

This summer, extreme heat damaged her tomato, pepper and cucumber crops.

"We can no longer count on normal weather. Extreme weather is the new normal," she said, adding that forests, wetlands and healthy rivers help cool the land and store water.

"The worst thing we could do now is attack the legal frameworks that protect the nature we have left," she said.

Dirk, a Belgian firefighter and member of ACOD LRB, also warned against weakening environmental protections, highlighting the risks faced by emergency services responding to extreme weather events.

"When we weaken environmental protections, we do not remove risks. We simply transfer the costs to citizens, communities, emergency services, healthcare workers and future generations," he said.

The coalition is calling on the Commission to conclude its review of the Birds and Habitats Directives with a plan to strengthen their implementation, rather than reopen the legislation. It is also urging the Commission to abandon its planned revision of the Water Framework Directive.

Instead of changing existing laws, the organisations want greater investment, adequate staffing and clearer guidance to help national authorities enforce and implement current environmental protections.

The petition was launched in February 2026 and closed with 1,254,722 signatures from across EU member states.

The handover took place at Schuman roundabout, near the only tree on the square. To mark the occasion, the coalition displayed a three-metre metal tree bearing messages from petition signatories engraved on its leaves. The installation highlighted the importance of nature to the millions of people calling for stronger environmental protection.

Last Friday, coalition representatives also took part in an implementation dialogue with Commissioner Roswall. According to the organisations, most participants emphasised the need to improve enforcement of existing environmental legislation rather than reopen the laws.

The coalition said the petition represented a clear message from citizens that the EU should focus on making its environmental laws work effectively instead of weakening them.