In June 2018, the review of the 2nd order draft of IPBES global assessment of biodiversity and ecosystem services and first order draft of its Summary for Policy-Makers (SPM) was launched. Parties, like the EU, did provide comments but to be taken on board they need to be backed up by references from the main assessment. Revised versions of the full assessment and SPM will be provided in half a year. The comments on these final drafts will be the basis of the negotiation of IPBES global assessment which will take place in Paris from 29 April - 4 May 2019. It is expected that the approved outcomes of IPBES global assessment will support awareness raising on the issue of biodiversity and ecosystem services in the public and the political agenda at the highest level (EU Summit on the Future of EU on 9 May, G7 Summit in June and G20 Ministerial Meeting on Energy Transitions and Global Environment for Sustainable Growth on 15-16 June). It would be extremely important to embark the EU scientific community in this debate by involving scientists in the reviewing of IPBES assessment, in supporting EU negotiators at IPBES-7 Plenary and in framing the post-2020 biodiversity policy agenda at EU and global level.

EU negotiators would need a synthesis of scientific comments on IPBES global assessment framed according to SPM and to their specific questions by the end of 2018, beginning of 2019 when the revised version will be available. EKLIPSE science synthesis report would be needed for EU negotiators in time for the EU preparation of the IPBES-7 plenary on 29 April - 4 May 2019. This synthesis would be shared with the Member States in the EU expert group on IPBES and Council Working Party on International Environmental issues which will prepare for the negotiations at IPBES-7. EKLIPSE synthesis would also be relevant to support the global and EU discussions on post-2020 biodiversity policy framework to be adopted at CBD COP15 in Beijing in autumn 2020 and by the new Commission in 2021.