Bulgaria is being referred to the EU Court of Justice for its continued failure to comply with Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (the so-called ‘Habitats Directive’). This was decided by the European Commission on Friday 12 November.
Despite several reminders, Bulgaria has still not designated 194 of the 229 sites of Community importance as Special Areas of Conservation within the required timeframe and has not set specific conservation objectives and measures for these sites, in violation of the Habitats Directive.
This European nature protection directive stipulates that, within 6 years of listing their sites of Community importance, Member States must designate these sites as special areas of conservation.
The Commission had sent Bulgaria a letter of formal notice in January 2019 and a reasoned opinion in July 2020. It considers that the efforts made by the Bulgarian authorities have so far been unsatisfactory and insufficient. Hence its decision to bring this Member State before the Court of Justice.
The EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 aims to halt the loss of biodiversity by preserving natural sites and restoring damaged ecosystems to good ecological status. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)