Press Release: Environment: Commission issues stern warnings to Portugal and Spain over nature protection shortcomings

The European Commission sent letters of formal notice to Portugal and Spain for failing to take sufficient measures to protect nature. The Portuguese case concerned authorisations for planned tourist complexes in protected areas in Grândola and Alcácer do Sal, south of Lisbon. The Spanish case concerned a failure to comply with a ruling by the European Court of Justice requiring Spain to designate sufficient protected areas for the conservation and protection of wild birds in a number of regions around the country.