Balancing offshore wind energy expansion and biodiversity protection in the North Sea

The EU’s targets for offshore renewable energy and biodiversity conservation are ambitious, multi-layered, and ultimately interconnected. Offshore wind energy is a key pillar in the EU’s clean energy transition, yet its expansion raises concerns about potential trade-offs with marine biodiversity protection. This webinar will explore governance challenges in aligning offshore wind deployment with conservation objectives. Through expert insights and case study examples, panelists will discuss the current policy landscape, highlight conflicts and synergies, and identify opportunities to enhance coherence between climate and biodiversity goals.

Speakers:
-Nikolaos Giannopoulos – Assistant Professor in International and European Law, Utrecht University
-Cristian Passarello – Research Associate , Research Institute for Sustainability (RIFS) 
-Ben Boteler – Senior Research Associate, Research Institute for Sustainability (RIFS) 
-Maaike Knol-Kauffman – Senior Researcher , Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA)