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The Appropriate Impact Assessment and Authorisation Requirements of Plans and Projects likely to have significant impacts on Natura 2000 sites

Nicolas de Sadeleer

elni Review 2013,  pp. 7-22. https://doi.org/10.46850/elni.2013.002

In 1979 the EU enacted the Birds Protection Directive, and in 1992 a sister directive, Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (the “Habitats Directive”). In addition, a clear commitment to halting the loss of biodiversity in the EU has been made in the Commission’s Communication on Halting the Loss of Biodiversity by 2010 - and Beyond. The aim of this article is to shed a light on the procedural requirements laid down under Article 6(3) and (4) of the Habitats Directive, a key provision for implementing the EU’s system of protecting and preserving biological diversity in the Member States. The contribution examines the assessment procedure and the authorisation scheme. It also takes a look at the possibility for the Member States to authorise a plan or a project adversely affecting the integrity of a protected site. Furthermore, the article examines the relationship between the different impact studies provided for under EU environmental law.

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References

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