Filenews 7 April 2022 - byAngelos Nikolaou
A reasoned opinion was received yesterday by the Republic of Cyprus from the Commission, considering that no measures have been taken for the protection and management of Natura 2000 sites. The issuance of the decrees is considered very important, since it is a commitment of the Republic of Cyprus in the context of the violation 2021/2064. On 9 June 2021, the Commission called on Cyprus to take measures for the protection and management of the Natura 2000 networks and thus to fulfil its obligations under the Habitats Directive (Directive 92/43/EEC).
According to the Habitats Directive, Member States must propose EU sites of Community importance, which are then added to lists of biogeographical areas in the EU. Within six years of inclusion in these lists, Member States must designate sites of Community importance as special areas of conservation, set conservation objectives and measures to maintain or restore to a favourable conservation status the protected species and habitats present on the sites in order to achieve a satisfactory conservation status at national biogeographical level.
In view of the non-compliance, the Commission has decided to send a letter of formal notice to Cyprus to take the necessary measures. otherwise, the Commission may decide to send a reasoned opinion, as it did. Cyprus now has two months to reply and take the necessary measures, otherwise it may refer the case to the Court of Justice of the EU.
The Commission says that conservation targets have not yet been set for three of their 37 Special Areas of Conservation. In addition, the targets foreseen for the remaining 34 zones do not meet the requirements of the Habitats Directive, as they are either too vague or do not sufficiently identify the species covered. Also, no conservation measures have been established for 33 Special Areas of Conservation and the measures adopted for four special areas of conservation are too general for the protection of species and habitats.
Angelos Nikolaou
