![](\"http:\/\/ch.jfdi.cc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/cyprus-taken-to-eu-court-over-precious-sites.jpg\")
The European Commission has referred Cyprus to the EU Court of Justice (ECJ) due to its failure to fulfil obligations under the Habitats Directive, which aims to protect over a thousand animal and plant species in the EU.<\/p>\nThe European Commission has referred Cyprus to the EU Court of Justice (ECJ) due to its failure to fulfil obligations under the Habitats Directive, which aims to protect over a thousand animal and plant species in the EU.<\/p>\n
According to the European Commission, Cyprus has designated 37 sites as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs). However, conservation measures for 28 of these sites have not been established and the conservation objectives for five sites are deemed inadequate, leaving species and habitats vulnerable.This decision comes after the Commission issued a formal notice to Cyprus in June 2021, followed by a reasoned opinion in April 2022.Despite some progress regarding SAC designation, Cyprus has not adequately addressed the concerns raised by the Commission, leading to the referral to the ECJ.The Habitats Directive is a crucial component of European biodiversity protection legislation, mandating the establishment of Natura 2000, an extensive EU-wide network of protected natural areas comprising SACs and Special Protection Areas (SPAs) for birds.According to European law, member states identify and propose sites crucial for the conservation of native species and habitats, which are subsequently adopted as Sites of Community Importance (SCIs) by the Commission.Member states are then required to designate these as SACs within six years, implementing necessary site-specific conservation objectives and measures to maintain or restore the species and habitats present.The Commission\u2019s actions aim to protect and restore biodiversity in line with the European Green Deal\u2019s Biodiversity Strategy for 2030. Infringement cases have been pursued against 16 member states regarding SAC designation, conservation objectives, and measures.Follow the
\nCyprus Mail on Google News<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The European Commission has referred Cyprus to the EU Court of Justice for not fulfilling obligations under the Habitats Directive, aimed at protecting over a thousand EU animal and plant species. Cyprus has designated 37 Special Areas of Conservation but failed to establish conservation measures for 28 sites and provided inadequate conservation objectives for five sites. This referral follows a formal notice in June 2021 and a reasoned opinion in April 2022. The Habitats Directive requires member states to designate Sites of Community Importance as Special Areas of Conservation within six years, implementing necessary conservation measures. The Commission’s action is part of efforts to protect and restore biodiversity under the European Green Deal\u2019s Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, with infringement cases pursued against 16 member states regarding conservation designations and measures.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4040,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"Default","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[1749,932,3,379,1575,250,1748,582,634],"class_list":["post-4039","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cyprus","tag-biodiversity-protection","tag-court","tag-cyprus","tag-eu","tag-eu-court-of-justice","tag-google","tag-habitats-directive","tag-justice","tag-opinion"],"acf":{"keyphrase":"","keywords":"","sourceimg":"","country-category":""},"yoast_head":"\n