UNVEILING THE NARRATIVES BEHIND THE NATURE RESTORATION LAW: ANALYSING THE DRIVING FORCES OF EU RESTORATION REGULATION

Every society develops narratives embodying a collective understanding of the world’s nature, functioning, fundamental values, and the roles of different actors. These narratives are central to policy analysis as they reflect institutional structures and reinforce collective aspirations. Considering the narratives behind policy actors’ actions helps understand their strategic behaviour. This article examines a recent European Union environmental regulation that attracted significant attention and controversy: the Nature Restoration Law (EU Reg 2024/1991). The article explores narratives as fundamental assumptions and patterns that underpin the regulation and examines their use in strategic communication. The analysis applies the Narrative Policy Framework to the Commission’s initial 2022 proposal, the final approved regulation, and accompanying documents. Findings reveal that, despite important innovations in environmental policy, such as the introduction of new environmental protection domains, the assumptions and narratives supporting the regulation remain anchored in a traditional managerial perspective, in which nature is considered a source of resources essential to human life, to be sustainably controlled and managed.