A recent ruling by the European Union’s highest court could have far-reaching implications for the approval of development projects in Greece’s protected Natura 2000 areas, with environmental groups saying it leaves no room for further delays in adopting site-specific conservation objectives.
In judgments issued July 16, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that national authorities cannot carry out a valid environmental assessment of a proposed project’s impact on a protected Natura 2000 site unless site-specific conservation objectives have first been adopted. The cases, referred by Irish courts, concerned proposed wind farms within the Natura 2000 network.
The ruling, hailed by WWF Greece as a “landmark decision,” is expected to have particular significance for the country, where many Natura 2000 sites still lack specific conservation objectives for protected habitats and species, while regulatory conservation measures remain pending across much of the network.
According to WWF Greece, projects including liquefied natural gas facilities off Alexandroupoli, hydrocarbon exploration, wind farms in Thrace and tourism developments in protected areas must now be assessed against clearly defined conservation objectives before they can be authorized.
