On Thursday 21 December, the European Commission took the decision to refer Ireland to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failing to adopt and notify penalties for breaches of the regulation on invasive alien species.
These species are responsible for the loss of biodiversity in Europe and around the world, causing considerable economic damage. Combating them is an essential aspect of the European Union’s objective of halting biodiversity loss, as set out in the European ‘Green Deal’ and the ‘European Biodiversity Strategy 2030’.
To this end, the Regulation requires Member States to establish penalties for non-compliance with its provisions, in particular for the introduction or cultivation of invasive alien species in the EU. These rules had to be notified to the Commission by January 2016.
Ireland received a letter of formal notice in January 2019 for its failure to adopt and notify these sanctions, followed by a reasoned opinion in November 2019. To date, Ireland has still not implemented these sanctions, which has led to its referral to the Court of Justice. (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)