First webinar on the Habitats Directive

About

Some 50 participants attended the fifth workshop on environmental requirements for projects, organised in cooperation with DG REGIO and DG ENVIRONMENT. Due to covid-19 restrictions, the workshop took place in the form of a webinar on 29 June 2020.

Target audience

The workshop targeted Managing Authorities in Member States, as well as relevant Environmental Authorities and Project Promoters.

Objectives

The webinar came as a targeted follow up to the workshop Habitats Directive - Key requirements for project preparation organised in December 2019. Panellists from DG REGIO, DG ENVIRONMENT and JASPERS brought to the participants’ attention the key provisions of Article 6(3) of the Directive 92/43/EEC (Habitats Directive) in the context of Major Projects’ preparation.

The presentations focused on the importance of Site-specific conservation objectives (SSCO) and topics such as setting up of SSCO, undertaking Appropriate Assessment (AA) in view of the SSCO and the necessary completeness of the Major Project, Appendix 1 Declaration also known as Natura 2000 Declaration.

The Birds Directive and the Habitats Directive form the backbone of biodiversity policy and the legal basis for our nature protection network. The aim of the Natura 2000 network is to ensure the long-term survival of Europe's most valuable and threatened species and habitats, listed under both directives.  Projects need to be developed respecting the sites’ integrity.

In their opening remarks, the guest speakers emphasized the importance of compliance with the specific requirements of the Habitats Directive as a condition for the approval of major projects.

The panellist representing DG REGIO shared knowledge built over the two programming periods (2007 – 2013 and 2014 - 2020) and focused on Part F of Major Projects Application Form, related to the analysis of the project’s impact on environment and assessment of impacts on Natura 2000 sites.

Representatives of DG ENVIRONMENT presented the importance of the Site-specific Conservation Objectives for the correct application of Article 6(3) of the Habitats Directive. They provided an overview of the legal and operational context as well as practical considerations when it comes to the establishment of SSCO.  They also had the opportunity to provide practical guidance through the Q+A session that followed each presentation.

JASPERS’ panellist spoke about the importance of the availability of key documents and provided a brief overview of attention points when it comes to the application of article 6.3 vis-a-vis Site Specific Conservation Objectives.