Brussels, 21/01/2000 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission had decided to take action before the Court of Justice against Spain and to send a reasoned opinion to the Netherlands, for failure to correctly comply with the European directive on the conservation of wild birds (79/409/EEC).
Spain: Action before the Court concerns the failure to comply with the provisions on "special protection areas". Spain is said not to have designated a sufficient number of special protection areas in the region of Murcia: out of 15 important ornithological areas defined scientifically at European level, only 3 have been designated, and incompletely at that, states the Commission.
In addition, the Commission, with a "reasoned opinion" (second stage in infringement proceedings), reproaches the Spanish authorities of Guipuzcoa for having authorised the hunting of migratory birds during their return flight to their nesting areas, from February to March. The Commission considers that exemption would only be possible if there is no other alternative as, it states, hunting could be authorised during autumn.
Netherlands: The Commission is sending this country a reasoned opinion (2nd stage of proceedings) for not having complied with a ruling of the Court of Justice dated May 1998, calling on the Netherlands to classify more sites as special protection areas. The Hague had pledged to designate 60 areas in addition to the 29 existing special areas. If no progress is made on this, the Commission may again take action before the Court.
Environment Commissioner Margot Wallström remarked on this occasion that "it is hardly comforting to note that infringement proceedings are currently in progress against 13 Member States for violation of the provisions of the directive on the protection of wild birds".