Natura 2000 and enlargement

On 6 February 2003 the European Commission published a background paper on Natura 2000, 'the most important initiative ever undertaken in the EU to conserve areas of high importance for threatened species and habitats.'

Two weeks earlier, a meeting between Commissioner Margot Wallström and Environment Ministers from the Candidate Countries, on 21 January 2003, agreed that Natura 2000 'is an important cornerstone of EU nature conservation policy and shall contribute to the protection of the outstanding biodiversity in Candidate Countries'.

However, at a press conference on 23 January, the World Wide Fund for Nature reported that 'potential Natura 2000 sites are threatened in all candidate countries.'

Background

Natura 2000 is an EU-wide network of nature protection areas established under the 1992 'Habitats Directive' (Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora). It comprises Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) designated by Member States under the Habitats Directive, and incorporates Special Protection Areas (SPAs) designated under the 1979 Birds Directive (Council Directive 79/409/EEC of 2 April 1979 on the conservation of wild birds).

The two Directives were a response to the Convention on Biological Diversity adopted at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. The Convention established three main goals: the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components, and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits from the use of genetic resources.

They are also related to a number of earlier international agreements, including the:

The June 2001 Gothenburg European Council agreed 'that biodiversity decline should be halted with the aim of reaching this objective by 2010 as set out in the 6th Environmental Action Programme.' The objective referred to is 'to protect and restore the functioning of natural systems and halt the loss of biodiversity in the European Union and globally ...'

According to the European Environment Agency, recent years have seen significant declines in Europe's natural heritage, including the extinction of 64 endemic European plants; 38% of bird species and 45% of butterflies becoming vulnerable or endangered; and a 60% reduction of wetlands in north and west Europe.

Described as 'a major contribution to global nature conservation and a model for international co-operation on sustainable development', Natura 2000 aims to assure the long-term survival of Europe's most valuable and threatened species and habitats. It is based on the idea that the best way of protecting the 200 types of habitat and 700 plant and animal species identified in the Habitats Directive as being of Community importance, is by establishing a network of sites covering all the habitats and species concerned.

The Habitats Directive does not specify a minimum or maximum amount of land and water which each Member State must designate under Natura 2000. Rather, each is expected to identify appropriate areas according to its wealth of biodiversity. Some 15% of EU territory has been identified for possible inclusion in the network.

EU Member States are responsible for proposing Natura 2000 sites to the European Commission, which then - in consultation with national authorities - selects those of EU-level importance. Proposals were to have been made by 1996, but there were significant delays in the Commission being advised of potential sites. Most Member States have now submitted proposals and are expected to designate Special Areas of Conservation by 2004.

Member States are also responsible for ensuring that designated sites are appropriately managed. Because of the variety of environments concerned, there is no single management model, but it is generally considered important to ensure the continuation of the traditional systems to which the protected habitats often owe their existence.

Natura does not seek to exclude all human activities, but to emphasise sustainable management, and new activities or developments in designated sites are not always prohibited. A Member State can allow a development where there is no viable alternative and where there is an overriding public interest. It must, however, compensate for the loss by creating or improving another habitat. In some cases the Commission is involved in the decision on whether there is an overriding public interest.

Funding for Natura 2000 sites is partly provided by the European Union. Although money can be obtained from the Structural Funds, the Cohesion Fund, and agri-environmental resources under the Union's Rural Development Policy, the only dedicated funding source is LIFE-Nature. A Working Group on future funding, which reported in December 2002, estimated that between €3.4 billion and €5.7 billion per year will be needed to support the Natura network. In its Final Report on Financing Natura 2000 the Working Group identified three main options for future funding:

• using existing EU funds, notably the Rural Development Regulation of the Common Agricultural Policy, Structural and Cohesion Funds and the LIFE-nature instrument, but modifying them in order to ensure better delivery against Natura 2000 needs;
• enlarging and modifying the LIFE-Nature instrument to serve as the primary delivery mechanism
• creating a new funding instrument dedicated to Natura 2000

Natura 2000 and enlargement

Enlargement will significantly increase the Union's natural heritage. The WWF has stated:

'Half a century of Communist regimes left a paradoxical environmental legacy in the region. Concentrated development together with weak environmental standards produced environmental disaster areas like the infamous 'Black Triangle' shared by Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic, and serious problems for example with air and water pollution. At the same time, however, vast areas of nature remained virtually untouched.' (EU Accession - Natural wealth in Central & Eastern Europe).

Countries joining the EU must implement the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive via national laws. They are thus bound to establish Natura 2000 sites as appropriate, according to their biodiversity resources. At an Informal Ministerial Meeting in Brussels on 12 July 2002, Environment Ministers from the 13 EU Candidate Countries signed the El Teide Declaration, committing them to tackling the loss of bio-diversity in their countries. (The Candidate Countries are: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Turkey).

Six months later, on 21 January 2003, the Environment Ministers agreed to continue and accelerate preparations for the Natura 2000 network (Informal Ministerial Meeting between Ms Wallström and the Ministers of the Environment of the candidate countries).

The Acceding Countries (the above-mentioned minus Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey) are expected to designate Sites of Community Interest and Special Protection Areas by the time they join the Union. Because of the increased range of biodiversity which their accession will bring to the Union, additional species and habitat types will be added to the Habitats Directive.

The WWF acknowledges that enlargement will 'add more than 180,000 km2' to the Natura 2000 network, 'including many of the most valuable areas in Europe'. A spokeswoman commented that 'The countries that are now preparing to join the EU have many of the last great wilderness areas, cultural landscapes, and near-pristine river systems remaining on the European continent, natural wealth that will greatly enrich the EU and that needs urgent protection.'

However, the WWF is concerned that important sites are under threat. On 23 January 2003 the WWF published a report on how 11 Candidate Countries are preparing to implement Natura 2000. According to the WWF, 'the pace must be stepped up to meet the 2004 deadline, and the timely establishment of Natura 2000 needs greater political will and commitment.' It highlights threats to Natura 2000 sites in all 11 countries, including:

• conventional timber logging in Lithuania
• a proposed extension of the EU motorway network through Poland's Biebrza National Park and Bulgaria's Kresna Gorge
• the proposed Danube-Oder-Elbe canal, which 'will irreparably damage the Danube, Odra, Elbe and Morava rivers as well as floodplains'

To help combat the threats identified, the report makes a number of recommendations:

• additional EU resources should be allocated to ensure that all potential Natura 2000 sites can be identified
• the administrative capacity of Candidate Countries at national and regional level must be considerably strengthened
• national authorities must create an ecologically coherent network with a large variety of habitats and species
• financial requirements for Natura 2000 in an enlarged EU must be included in forthcoming discussions for the next EU budgetary period
• national authorities and the European Commission must ensure that no funds are allocated to transport, hydro, or other infrastructures that endanger present or future Natura 2000 sites

Further information within European Sources Online:

European Sources Online: Topic Guides:
	The Environmental Policy of the European Union

Further information can be seen in these external links:
(long-term access cannot be guaranteed)

EU Institutions

European Commission:
	DG Environment:
		Commission Working Document on Natura 2000
		Communication...The Challenge of Environmental Financing in the Candidate Countries [COM (2001)304]
		El Teide Declaration
		El Teide Declaration [full text]
		Enlargement and co-operation with European third countries
		Final Report on Financing Natura 2000
		Informal Ministerial Meeting between Ms Wallström and the Ministers of the Environment of the candidate countries
		LIFE-Nature
		Natura 2000: Managing Our Heritage
		Nature Conservation Authorities of the Member States
		Nature protection
	SCADPlus:
		Barcelona Convention: protecting the Mediterranean Sea
		Natural habitats (Natura 2000)

European Environment Agency:
	Homepage
	Europe's biodiversity - biogeographical regions and seas
European Topic Centre on Nature Protection and Biodiversity:
	Homepage
	The European Union network Natura 2000

Miscellaneous organisations

Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (Helsinki Commission):
	Homepage
Central and East European Working Group for the Enhancement of Biodiversity (CEEWEB):
	Homepage
Council of Europe:
	Homepage: Environment
	The Bern Convention
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands:
	Homepage
UN Convention on Biological Diversity:
	Homepage
	Convention on Biological Diversity: Convention Text
UNEP.Net: The United Nations Environment Network:
	Homepage
	Europe: Environmental conventions & legislations
United Nations Environment Programme:
	Homepage
	Secretariat to the Convention of Migratory species of Wild Animals
WWF:
	EU accession and the environment
	Progress on Preparation for Natura 2000 in Future EU Member States. Synthesis and country reports for Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia

On 6 February 2003 the European Commission published a background paper on Natura 2000, 'the most important initiative ever undertaken in the EU to conserve areas of high importance for threatened species and habitats.'