EN    EN  
 EUROPEAN  
COMMISSION 
Brussels, 9.9.2013  
COM(2013) 620 final 
2013/0307 (COD) 
  
Proposal for a 
REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL 
on the prevention an d management of the introducti on and spread of invasive alien 
species 
{SWD(2013) 321 final} 
{SWD(2013) 322 final} 
{SWD(2013) 323 final}   
EN 2   EN EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM  
1. CONTEXT  OF THE  PROPOSAL 
Invasive alien species (IAS) ar e species that are initially transporte d through human action 
outside of their natural range ac ross ecological barriers, and that then survive, reproduce and 
spread, and that have negative impacts on the ec ology of their new location as well as serious 
economic and social consequences. It has been estimated that of the over 12  000 alien species 
that are found in the European environment, 10-15  % have reproduced and spread, causing 
environmental, economic and social damage. 
The impact of IAS on biodiversit y is significant. IAS are one of the major, and growing, 
causes of biodiversity loss and species extinction. When it co mes to social and economic 
impacts, IAS can be vectors of diseases or directly cause health problems (e.g. asthma, 
dermatitis and allergies). They can damage infrastructure and recreational facilities, hamper forestry or cause agricultural losses, to mention but a few. IAS are estimated to cost the Union at least €
 12 billion per year and damage costs are continuing to rise. 
With the 2020 Biodiversity Strategy, the Uni on undertook to halt the lo ss of biodiversity by 
2020, in line with the international commitments adopted by the parties to the Convention for 
Biological Diversity in 2010 in Nagoya, Japan. Indeed, the problem of IAS is not limited to 
Europe, but found throughout the world. Unlike so me of its trading partners, the European 
Union currently lacks a comprehensive framew ork to address the th reats posed by IAS.. 
Regulatory framework  
There is currently no EU framework for tackling IAS comprehensively. Few IAS are 
addressed by EU legislation. Disease agents and pests of animals and plants and their products 
are covered respectively by the animal health re gime (various regulations and directives) and 
by the plant health regime (2000/29/EC). The Wildlife Trade Regulation (338/97) restricts 
imports of endangered species, including imports  of seven IAS. The Re gulation on the use of 
alien and locally absent species in aquacult ure (708/2007) addresses the release of alien 
species for aquaculture purposes. The regulat ions on plant protecti on products (1107/2009) 
and on biocides (528/2012) address the intenti onal release of micro-organisms as plant 
protection products or biocide respectively. Finally, the Birds Directive (2009/147/EC) and 
the Habitats Directive (92/ 43/EEC), the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) and the 
Marine Strategy Framework Dire ctive (2008/56/EC) require th e restoration of ecological 
conditions and refer to the need to take IAS into consideration. Nevertheless, existing Union 
action leaves most IAS unaddressed.  
Member States are taking a number of measures  to tackle IAS, but such action remains 
predominantly reactive, seeking to minimise th e damage already being caused without paying 
sufficient attention to prevention or to detec ting and responding to new threats. Efforts are 
fragmented, with substantial gaps in species coverage, and are often poorly coordinated. IAS 
do not respect borders and can easily spread from  one Member State to another. Thus, action 
taken at national level will be insufficient to prot ect the Union from the threat of certain IAS. 
Moreover, this fragmented approach can le ad to action in one Member State being 
undermined by a lack of actio n in neighbouring Member Stat es. Furthermore, different 
restrictions on the commercialisat ion of IAS between Member States  are highly ineffective, as 
species can easily be transpor ted or spread across borders  throughout the Union. Moreover, 
such differentiated bans are hampering the free ci rculation of goods in th e internal market and 
disrupting the level playing field for sectors which use or trade in alien species.  
EN 3   EN Problem analysis  
IAS are being introduced into the Union through two channels : 1) some alien species are 
desirable and are brought into th e Union intentionally (e.g. comm ercial interests, ornamental 
purposes, companion animals, bi ological control); 2) some alien species are introduced 
unintentionally as contaminants of goods (trade  in other commodities) , as hitchhikers or 
stowaways in transport vectors,  or can be transported unwitti ngly by travellers. Some IAS can 
also travel through transport infr astructure (e.g. Danube-Main canal). 
IAS affect  businesses, citizens, public au thorities and the environment. In the case of 
small and micro enterprises  in particular, IAS often affects primary producers in agriculture, 
animal husbandry, fisheries, aquaculture an d forestry, suffering considerable economic 
damage as a result. Businesses linked to tour ism and recreational activities, which rely on 
pristine landscapes, clean water bodies and healthy ecosystems, are often also affected. 
However, other small and micro enterprise s, e.g. traders in companion animals and 
horticultural species, draw benefits from IAS as they focus mainly on trade in alien species. 
IAS also affect society at large , causing a loss of biodiversity  and compromising the ability 
of ecosystems to provide ecosystem services. Moreover, they may transmit diseases, damage 
property and affect cultural heritage. 
All the Member States are facing problems cau sed by IAS. While some IAS affect most 
Member States, others are only a problem in cer tain regions, or under certain ecological or 
climatic conditions. Nevertheless, all the Memb er States do have IAS on their territory. IAS 
impacts are relevant to the whole of the Unio n and all the Member St ates will be equally 
affected by IAS, albeit at different times and by different species. Coordinated action to tackle 
IAS would thus benefit all the Member States, wh ile clearly requiring efforts from all of them. 
If no action is taken to tackle the problem, it will get worse as new IAS establish themselves 
and those already established spread further. This  will result in an increase in damage costs 
and management costs.  
Objectives of the proposal  
This proposal aims to tackle the issues hi ghlighted above by establishing a framework for 
action to prevent, minimise and mitigate th e adverse impacts of IAS on biodiversity and 
ecosystem services. Furthermore,  it will seek to limit social a nd economic damage. This will 
be achieved through measures to ensure coordi nated action, focusing re sources on priority 
species and on increasing preventive measures, in accordance with the Convention of Biological Diversity approach and with the Un ion’s plant and animal health regimes. In 
practical terms, the proposal seeks to attain these objectives through measures addressing the 
intentional introduction of IAS into the Union and their intentional release into the environment, the unintentional introduction and re lease of IAS, the need to set up an early 
warning and rapid response system, and the ne ed to manage the IAS spread throughout the 
Union. 
2. RESULTS
 OF CONSULTATIONS  WITH  INTERESTED  PARTIES  AND  
IMPACT  ASSESSMENTS 
Consultation process  
In 2008 the European Commi ssion published a Communication  ‘Towards an EU Strategy on 
Invasive Species (2008) ’ setting out the case for tack ling IAS. The 2010 Communication ‘Our 
life insurance, our natural capital:  an EU biodiversity strategy to 2020 ’ proposes action on 
IAS. Both Communications were preced ed and followed by thorough consultations.  
EN 4   EN A series of  intensive rounds of st akeholder consultations  took place  between 2008 and 2012, 
which attracted the whole spectrum of inte rested parties, from nature conservation 
organisations to operators in the private se ctor, including organisations representing Small 
and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) relying on alien species for their business. An online 
public consultation was held in 2008 and a second one in 2012. A working group composed 
of Commission departments, Member States, stakeholders and academics was convened in 
2008 and produced a discussion paper1 bringing together the latest information and 
summarising opinions on key issues. This Working Group was then reconvened and 
reorganised into three working groups in 2010-2011, which drew up possible policy options 
to address prevention, early warning/rapid re sponse and the management of established 
species respectively. Finally a stakeholder consultation meeting was held in September 2010. 
The Commission’s work on IAS has also been supported by several external studies and 
research2. Furthermore, all of the analysis set out  in the impact assessment was based on 
scientifically robust data, mostly retrieved from  peer-reviewed scientific  articles. Information 
on damage cost, spread of species and the costs of measures in place were also provided or 
checked by Member States. Special efforts were  made to contact dire ctly the stakeholders 
involved in this issue, includi ng those sectors that might be  negatively impacted by the 
introduction of measures to tackle the IAS probl em. Finally, the analysis also benefited from 
the input of the world’s top experts on IAS within and beyond the Union. 
Impact assessment  
Various options were identified for addressing the IAS issue, and in par ticular for addressing 
all aspects of the problem that were identi fied, but with a different level of ambition. 
Based on feedback from the consultation, a numb er of levels of ambition and intervention 
were identified for each of the operational objec tives pinpointed through the analysis of the 
problem, resulting in different sub-options for the design of the legisl ative instrument. An 
initial screening led to the discar ding of sub-options that were not feasible, or simply not as 
effective as others. For each option identified, each of the operational objectives was addressed systematically, proposing pr actical measures to tackle IAS. 
In addition to the baseline option (option 0), which would maintain the status quo, the 
following options were identified: 
Option 1 — Enhancing cooperation and supporting voluntary action : This would include 
the development of guidelines, sectoral code s of conduct and other awareness-raising and 
educational campaigns. This option would al so seek to encourage cooperation between 
Member States in setting up an early warn ing and rapid response system. The Commission 
could promote existing initiatives in this area through communication campaigns. 
Option 2.1 —  Basic legislative instrument: This involves  a series of legal obligations 
banning the import, keeping, sale, purchase and exchange of certain IAS listed as IAS of 
Union concern. Further obligations  would be linked to release in to the environment of IAS of 
Union concern, rapid response to newly establ ishing IAS of Union concern and management 
of widely spread IAS of Union concern. 
                                                
 
1 http://www.acceptance.ec.europa.eu /environment/nature/invasivealie n/docs/ias_discussion_paper.pdf. 
2 All studies are accessible from http://ec.europa. eu/environment/nature/invasivealien/index_en.htm.   
EN 5   EN Option 2.2 — Basic legislative instrument + permits for rele ase of IAS of Member State 
concern : This option would go beyond the list of IAS of Union concern for the release into 
the environment, by requiring permits for IA S deemed of concern by Member States. 
Option 2.3 — Basic legislative instrument + a strict general ban on the release of alien 
species, unless found to be safe : This option would go beyond the list of IAS of Union 
concern for release into the environment by prohi biting the release of an y alien species unless 
they are included in a Union list of alien species approved for release. 
Option 2.4 — Basic legislative instrument + an obligation for the rapid eradication of 
newly establishing IAS of Union concern : With this option, when it comes to rapid 
response, Member States would not have a c hoice, but rather an ob ligation to eradicate 
quickly any newly establishing IAS of Union concern and shar e information. Derogations are 
possible if approved by the Commission. 
Option 2.4 was retained and in forms the present proposal. 
3. LEGAL  ELEMENTS  OF THE  PROPOSAL 
Legal basis  
The legal basis of this proposal  is Article 192(1) of the Tr eaty on the Functioning of the 
European Union, implementing the EU objectives  of preserving, protecting and improving the 
quality of the environment, protecting human health, ensuring prudent and rational utilisation of natural resources, and promoting measur es dealing with regional or worldwide 
environmental problems. 
Subsidiarity
 
Union-level action is necessary as IAS problems are increasing and are cross-border by 
nature. In view of the lack of Union-level action, Member St ates are putting measures in place 
to cope with the problem at national level. They are investing resources and efforts in eradicating harmful IAS but su ch efforts can be undermined  by a lack of action in a 
neighbouring Member State where the species is al so present. Equally, th ere is no coordinated 
Union action to ensure that wh en IAS first enter the Union, Member States take prompt 
measures for the benefit of other Member States  not yet affected. Furt hermore, the protection 
of the internal market — and the free circul ation of goods — have to be taken into 
consideration. A coordinated approach will ensure legal clarity and a level playing field for those sectors using or trading alien species wh ile avoiding a fragment ation of the internal 
market due to different restrictions on the co mmercialisation of IAS between Member States. 
Current efforts are highly fragmented and in consistent, leaving considerable policy gaps. 
These lead to ineffectiveness and do not so lve the IAS problem. A mixture of Union and 
national, regional and local measures will be need ed, in line with the principle of subsidiarity. 
However, a coherent approach at Union level will increase the effectiveness of the measures. 
Guiding principles
 
This proposal puts forward measures ba sed on the following guiding principles: 
Prioritisation — There are over 12,000 alien species in the EU out of which 10 to 15% are 
causing damage (which means 1200 to 1800 inva sive alien species) and new ones keep 
arriving. There is ample scope for a prioriti sed and proportionate approach, building upon 
existing efforts and increasing the efficien cy and effectiveness of current action.  
EN 6   EN Shift towards prevention — Prevention is interna tionally recognised as the most effective way 
of avoiding the IAS problem. Measures focusi ng on prevention need to be accompanied by an 
effective early warning system to take prom pt action on species eluding the prevention 
measures. 
Building upon existing systems — Valuable work is already being done in the Union both at 
national level and at Union level. This proposal  intends to maximise the efficiency of the 
system and to make full use of what already exists. 
Gradual and phased-in approach  — Member States need lega l certainty and reassurance 
regarding the extent and costs of the actions they will be expected to take. Therefore, this proposal includes a prioritisation of invasive alien species based on very stringent listing 
criteria, as well as an initial capping of the numb er of priority species to the top 3% of some 
1500 invasive alien species in Eu rope. Further, a review clause  will allow to develop the 
system progressively and build upon the experi ence gained. Any extension of the list of 
species of EU concern will only take place following this review.  
Structure of the proposal
 
Chapter I — General provisions.  This section sets outs the subject matter, the scope and the 
basic obligation of the proposal. It also provides the tool s for prioritising IAS of Union 
concern to enable Union resources to be prio ritised on the basis of risk and scientific 
evidence. 
Chapter II — Prevention.  This section sets out the meas ures necessary to prevent the 
introduction into the Union and the introduction or release into the environment of IAS. 
Chapter III — Early detection and rapid eradication.  This section sets out the tools to 
ensure that IAS of Union concern can be detect ed early in the environment and at the Union 
borders and describes the measures that ar e triggered when these IAS are detected. 
Chapter IV — Management of IAS that are widely spread.  This section sets out the 
obligations necessary to tackle IAS of Union co ncern that are already pr esent in the Union or 
new ones that have eluded the prevention m easures and early detection measures and 
managed to spread widely. 
Chapter V — Final provisions.  This section sets out  reporting obligations  and the legal tools 
needed to ensure implementation, enforcem ent and review of the proposed measures. 
4. BUDGETARY  IMPLICATION 
There will be only some limited financial implica tion to be financed under Heading 5 of the 
Multi-annual Financing Framework 2014-2020 for the Committee under Article 22. See 
Financial Fiche attached.  
EN 7   EN 2013/0307 (COD) 
Proposal for a 
REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL 
on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of invasive alien 
species 
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN 
UNION, 
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular 
Article 192(1) thereof, 
Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission, 
After transmission of the draft legislative act to the national Parliaments, Having regard to the opinion of the Eu ropean Economic and Social Committee
3 
Having regard to the opinion of  the Committee of the Regions4, 
Acting in accordance with the or dinary legislative procedure, 
Whereas: (1) The appearance of alien species, whether animals, plants, fungi or micro-
organisms, in new locations is not al ways a cause for concern. However, a 
significant subset of alien species can become invasive  and have serious adverse 
impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services, as well as other economic and social impacts, which should be pr evented. Some 12 000 species in the 
environment in the Union and other Euro pean countries are alien, of which 
roughly 10 to 15 % are estim ated to be invasive. 
(2) Invasive alien species represent one of  the primary threats to biodiversity and 
ecosystem services, especially in geogr aphically and evolut ionary isolated 
ecosystems, such as small islands, and th e risks such species pose may be greater 
due to increased global trade, tran sport, tourism and climate change. 
(3) The threat to biodiversity and ecosystem services that invasive alien species pose 
can take different forms such as impacting severely on native species and ecosystem structure and function through alteration of hab itat, predation, 
competition, transmission of diseases, replacement of native species throughout a significant proportion of range  and genetic effects by hybr idisation. Furthermore, 
invasive alien species can also have a si gnificant negative imp act on human health 
and the economy. It is only live specimens, or parts th at can reproduce, that 
                                                
 
3 OJ ref  
4 OJ ref  
EN 8   EN represent a threat to biodi versity and ecosystem services, human health or the 
economy.  
(4) The Union, as a party to the Conven tion on Biological Diversity, approved by 
Council Decision 93/626/EEC5, is bound by the provisions of Article 8(h) therein, 
according to which the Parties shall, as fa r as possible and as appropriate, 'prevent 
the introduction of, control or eradicate those alien species which threaten ecosystems, habitats or species'. 
(5) The Union, as a party to the Conven tion on the Conservation of European 
Wildlife and Natural Habitats (the Bern Convention), approved by Council 
Decision 82/72/EEC
6, has undertaken to take all a ppropriate measures to ensure 
the conservation of the habitats of  the wild flora and fauna species. 
(6) To support the achievement of the obj ectives of Directiv e 2009/147/EC of the 
European Parliament and of th e Council of 30 November 2009 on the 
conservation of wild birds7, Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the 
conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora8, Directive 
2008/56/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 2008 
establishing a framework for commun ity action in the field of marine 
environmental policy (Marine Strategy Framework Directive)9 and Directive 
2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2000 
establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy10, the 
primary objective of this Regulation should be to prevent, minimise and mitigate the adverse effects of invasive alie n species on biodiversity and ecosystem 
services, as well as to reduce th eir economic and social impact. 
(7) Some species migrate naturally in res ponse to environmental changes. Therefore 
they should not be considered as alien species in their new environment and are 
thus excluded from the scope of the new rules on invasive alien species. 
(8) At Union level, the proposal for a new Regulation of the European Parliament and 
the Council on Animal Health
11 include provisions on animal diseases, and the 
new Regulation of the European Parl iament and the Council on protective 
measures against pests of plants 12 provides rules for pests of plants, and Directive 
2001/18/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 March 2001 on 
the deliberate release into the environmen t of genetically modified organisms and 
repealing Council Directive 90/220/EEC13 sets out the regime applicable to 
genetically modified organism s. Therefore, the new rules on invasive alien species 
                                                 
5 OJ L 309, 13.12.1993, p. 1. 
6 OJ L 38, 10.2.1982, p. 1. 
7 OJ L 20, 26.1.2010, p. 7.  
8 OJ L 206, 22.7.1992, p. 7. 
9 OJ L 164, 25.6.2008, p. 19. 
10 OJ L 327, 22.12.2000, p. 1. 
11 COM(2013) 260 final 
12 COM(2013) 267 final 
13 OJ L 106, 17.4.2001, p. 1.  
EN 9   EN should align and not overlap with those Union acts and shall not apply to the 
organisms targeted by those acts. 
(9) Council Regulation (EC) No 708/2007 of  11 June 2007 concerning use of alien 
and locally absent species in aquaculture14, Regulation (EU) No 528/2012 of the 
European Parliament and of the Counc il of 22 May 2012 con cerning the making 
available on the market and use of biocidal products15 and Regulation (EC) No 
1107/2009 of the European Parliament a nd of the Council of 21 October 2009 
concerning the placing of plant protecti on products on the market and repealing 
Council Directives 79/117/EEC and 91/414/EEC16 provide for rules concerning 
the authorisation for the use of certain alien species for particular purposes. The use of certain species has already been authorised under those regimes at the time 
of entry into force of these new rules as  they do not pose unacceptable risks to the 
environment, human health and the economy. In order to ensure a coherent legal 
framework, those species should thus be excluded from the new rules.  
(10) As invasive alien species are numerous, it is important to ensure that priority is 
afforded to addressing the subset of inva sive alien species considered to be of 
Union concern. A list of such invasive alien species considered to be of Union concern should therefore be drawn up. An invasive alien species should be 
considered of Union concer n if the damage it is causing in the affected Member 
States is so significant that it justifie s the adoption of dedicated measures the 
scope of which extends across the Union, in cluding in the Member States that are 
not yet affected or even unlikely to be aff ected. In order to ensure that the subset 
of invasive alien species of Union concer n remains proportionate, the list should 
be developed in line with a gradual and phased-in approach including an initial 
capping of the number of invasive alien spec ies of Union concern to the top 3% of 
some 1500 invasive alien species in Eur ope and be focused on those species that 
cause or are likely to cause significant economic damage, including that deriving 
from biodiversity loss. 
(11) The criteria to list invasive alien spec ies considered to be of Union concern is the 
core instrument to apply these new rule s. The Commission will do its utmost to 
submit a proposal for a list based on those criteria within one year of the entry 
into force of this legislation to the Co mmittee. The criteria should include a risk 
assessment pursuant to the applicable pr ovisions under the Ag reements of the 
World Trade Organisation on placing trade restriction on species.  
(12) In order to ensure compliance with th e rules of the World Trade Organisation and 
ensure the coherent application of th ese new rules common criteria should be 
established to perform the risk assessm ent. Those criteria should use when 
appropriate existing national and intern ational standards and should encompass 
different aspects of the characteristics of the species, the risk and modes of entry 
into the Union, the negative economic, so cial and biodiversity impacts of the 
species, the potential benefits of uses and the costs of mitigation to weight them 
                                                
 
14 OJ L 168, 28.6.2007, p.1. 
15 OJ L 167, 27.6.2012, p. 1. 
16 OJ L 309, 24.11.2009, p. 1.  
EN 10   EN against the negative impacts, as well as a quantified forecast of the environmental, 
economic and social damage costs at Uni on level demonstrating the significance 
for the Union, so as to further justify action. In order to develop the system 
progressively and build upon the experien ce gained, the overall approach should 
be evaluated after five years. 
(13) Some invasive alien an imals are included in Annex B to Council Regulation (EC) 
No 338/97 of 9 December 1996 on the protection of species of wild fauna and flora by regulating trade therein
17, and their import into the Union is prohibited 
because their invasive character has been  recognised and their introduction into 
the Union has a negative impact on na tive species. These species are: 
Callosciurus erythraeus, Sciurus carolinen sis, Oxyura jamaicensis, Lithobates 
(Rana)  catesbeianus,  Sciurus niger, Chrysemys pict a, Trachemys scripta elegans . 
To ensure a coherent legal framework and uniform rules at Union level on 
invasive alien species, those invasive a lien animals should be considered as a 
matter of priority for listing as invasi ve alien species of Union concern.  
(14) Prevention is generally more environm entally desirable and cost-effective than 
reaction after the fact and should be pr ioritised, and as new species can be 
introduced continuously into the Union a nd alien species pres ent are spreading 
and expanding their range, it is necessary to  ensure that the list of invasive alien 
species of Union concern is constant ly revised and kept up-to-date.  
(15) Some of the species that are invasive in the Union may be native in some of the 
Union's Outermost Regions and vice versa. In the Communication from the Commission on "The outermost re gions: an asset for Europe"
18 it was recognised 
that the remarkable biodiversity of the outermost regions calls for the 
development and implementation of measur es to prevent and manage invasive 
alien species in those regions as define d by the Treaty on the Functioning of the 
European Union taking into account Eur opean Council Decisions 2010/718/EU of 
29 October 2010 amending the status with re gard to the European Union of the 
island of Saint-Barthélemy19 and 2012/419/EU of 11 July 2012 amending the 
status of Mayotte with regard to the European Union20. Therefore all the 
provisions of these new rules should a pply to the Union's Outermost Regions 
except for provisions relating to invasive  alien species of Union concern which 
are native to those regions. In addition, to  allow for the necessary protection of the 
biodiversity in such regions, it is necessa ry that the concerned Member States 
draw up, as a complement to the list of invasive alien species of Union concern, 
specific lists of invasive alien species fo r their Outermost Regions to which these 
new rules should also apply. 
(16) The risks and concerns associated with  invasive alien species represent a cross-
border challenge affecting the whole of the Union. It is therefore essential to adopt 
at Union level a ban on intentionally bringing into the Union, reproducing, 
                                                 
17 OJ L 61, 3.3.1997, p. 1.  
18 COM (2008)642 final. 
19 OJ L 325, 9.12.2010, p. 4. 
20 OJ L 204, 31.7.2012, p. 131.   
EN 11   EN growing, transporting, buyi ng, selling, using, exchangi ng, keeping and releasing 
invasive alien species of Union concern, to  ensure that consistent action is taken 
across the Union so as to avoid distortions  of the internal market and to prevent 
situations where action taken in one Memb er State is undermined by inaction in 
another Member State.  
(17) With a view to enabling scientific resear ch and ex-situ conservation activities, it is 
necessary to provide specific rules for th e invasive alien speci es of Union concern 
subject to those activities. Those activ ities should be carri ed out in closed 
facilities where the organisms are in cont ained holding and with all the necessary 
measures taken to avoid the escape or unlawful release of invasive alien species of Union concern.  
(18) There may be cases where alien species not yet recognised as invasive alien 
species of Union concern appear at the Un ion borders or are detected in the Union 
territory. Member States should therefore be granted the possibility to adopt on 
the basis of available scientific evid ence certain emergency measures. Such 
emergency measures would allow immediat e reaction against species which may 
pose risks related to thei r introduction, esta blishment and spread in those 
countries, while Member States assess th e effective risks posed by them, in line 
with the applicable provisions of the Agreements of the World Trade Organisation, in particular with a view  to having those species recognised as 
invasive alien species of Union concer n. There is a need to couple national 
emergency measures with the possibility  of adopting emergency measures at 
Union level in order to comply with the pr ovisions of the agreements of the World 
Trade Organisation. Furthermore, Union level emergency measures would equip 
the Union with a mechanism to act swiftly in case of presence or imminent danger 
of entry of a new invasive alien species  in accordance with the precautionary 
principle.  
(19) Member States should be able to adopt more stringent measures to tackle invasive 
alien species and to take measures proact ively in respect of any species that are 
not listed as invasive alien species of Union concern. In order to adopt a more 
proactive stance on unlisted species, it shoul d therefore be require d that to release 
invasive alien species into the environment that are not listed as invasive alien species of Union concern, but for which Member States have found evidence that 
they pose a risk, an authoris ation for release should be issued. Detailed rules for 
the authorisation of alien species to be used in aquaculture have already been established by Regulation (EC) No 708/2007 and should be taken into account by 
Member States in this context. 
(20) A large proportion of in vasive alien species are intr oduced unintentionally into the 
Union. It is therefore crucial to ma nage the pathways of unintentional 
introduction. Action in this area would n eed to be gradual, given the relatively 
limited experience in this field. Action s hould include voluntary measures, such as 
the actions proposed by the Internationa l Maritime Organisation's Guidelines for 
the Control and Management  of Ships' Biofouling, and mandatory measures and 
should build on the experience gained in the Union and in Member States in  
EN 12   EN managing certain pathways, including measures established through the 
International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships Ballast Water 
and Sediments. 
(21) In order to develop an adequate knowle dge base to address the problems raised by 
invasive alien species, it is important that Member States undertake research, 
monitoring and surveillance of such speci es. As surveillance systems offer the 
most appropriate means for early detecti on of new invasive a lien species and for 
the determination of the di stribution of already establ ished species, they should 
include both targeted and ge neral surveys and benefit from the involvement of 
different sectors and stakeholders, in cluding local communities. Surveillance 
systems should imply paying continuous at tention to any new invasive alien 
species anywhere in the Uni on. In the interest of effici ency and cost-effectiveness, 
existing systems of border control, surveillance and monitoring already 
established in Union legislation should be  applied, in particular those set out 
Directives 2009/147/EC, 92/43/EEC , 2008/56/EC and 2000/60/EC.  
(22) Official controls on animals and plants  should be carried out in order to prevent 
the intentional intr oduction of invasive alien speci es. Live animals and plants 
should enter the Union through border cont rol posts designated by Member States 
in accordance with Regulation (EU) No  XXX/XXXX [on official controls 
COM(2013)265]. In order to ensure efficien cy gains and avoid creating parallel 
systems of border controls, the verifica tion whether these species are invasive 
alien species of Union concern should also  be carried out at the first Border 
Control Post of arrival. Animal and plants, not falling under the scope of 
Regulation (EU) No XXX/XXXX [on of ficial controls COM(2013)265] or 
exempted from official controls at bor der control posts, sha ll enter the customs 
territory of the Community through ot her entry points and subject to checks 
therein. 
(23) After the introduction of an invasive  alien species, early detection and rapid 
eradication measures are cr ucial to prevent their establishment and spread. The 
most effective and cost efficient respons e is often to eradic ate the population, as 
soon as possible while the number of speci mens is still limited. In the event that 
eradication is not feasible or the costs of  eradication outweigh in the long term the 
environmental, economic and social bene fits, containment and control measures 
should be applied.  
(24) Eradicating and managing some inva sive alien species, while necessary, may 
induce pain, distress, fear or  other forms of suffering to the animals even when 
using the best available technical means.  For that reason, Member States and any 
operator involved in the eradication, cont rol or containment of invasive alien 
species should take the necessary measures to minimise pain, distress and suffering of animals during the process, ta king into account in so far as possible 
the best practices in the field, for example the Guiding Principles on Animal Welfare developed by the World Organi sation for Animal Health (OIE).  
(25) Invasive alien species generally ca use damage to ecosystems and reduce their 
resilience. Therefore restoration meas ures are required to strengthen the  
EN 13   EN ecosystems' resilience towards invasions, to repair the damage caused and to 
enhance the conservation status of species  and their habitats in accordance with 
Article 4 of Directive 2009/147/EC and Ar ticle 6 of Directive 92/43/EEC, the 
ecological status of inland surface waters, transitional waters, coastal waters and 
groundwater in accordance with Articl e 11 of Directive 2000/60/EC, and the 
environmental status of marine waters in  accordance with Article 13 of Directive 
2008/56/EC.  
(26) A system to address invasive alien species should be underp inned by a cen tralised 
information system collating the existing information on alien species in the Union and allowing access to information on presence of species, their spread, 
their ecology, invasion  history and all other inform ation necessary to underpin 
policy and management decisions.  
(27) Directive 2003/35/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 May 
2003 providing for public participation in respect of the drawing up of certain 
plans and programmes relating to the environment
21 establishes a framework for 
public consultation in envi ronment related decisions. In defining action in the 
field of invasive alien species, effectiv e public participation should enable the 
public to express, and the decision-ma ker to take account of, opinions and 
concerns which may be relevant to those decisions, thereby increasing the 
accountability and transparency of the d ecision-making process and contributing 
to public awareness of environmental issu es and support for the decisions taken.  
(28) In order to ensure uniform conditions for the application of this Regulation, for 
adopting and updating the list of invasive  alien species of Union concern, for 
granting derogations from the obligation of  rapid eradication and for the adoption 
of Union emergency measures, implemen ting powers should be conferred on the 
Commission. Those powers should be ex ercised in accordance with Regulation 
(EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parlia ment and of the Council of 16 February 
2011 laying down the rules and general pr inciples concerning mechanisms for 
control by the Member States of the Commission's exercise of implementing 
powers22.  
(29) In order to take into account the latest scientific developments in the 
environmental field, the power to adopt acts in accordance with Article 290 of the 
Treaty on the Functioning of the European  Union should be delegated to the 
Commission in respect of determining how to  conclude that invasive alien species 
are capable of establishing viable populations and of spreading, as well as for 
setting out the common elements for the deve lopment of risk assessments. It is of 
particular importance that the Commissi on carry out appropria te consultations 
during its preparatory wor k, including at expert level. The Commission, when 
preparing and drawing up delegated acts,  should ensure a simultaneous, timely 
and appropriate transmission of relevant documents to the European Parliament 
and to the Council.  
                                                 
21 OJ L 156, 25.6.2003, p. 17 . 
22 OJ L 55, 28.2.2011, p. 13.   
EN 14   EN (30) In order to guarantee compliance with this Regulation, it is important that 
Member States impose dissuasive, eff ective and proportionate sanctions for 
infringements taking into account the natu re and gravity of the infringement.  
(31) In order to enable non-commercial owne rs to continue keeping their companion 
animals that belong to species listed as invasive alien species of Union concern 
until the animal's natural death, it is n ecessary to provide transitional measures, on 
the condition that all measures are put in place to avoid escape or reproduction.  
(32) In order to enable commercial operators, who may have legitimate expectations, 
for instance those who have received  an authorisation in accordance with 
Regulation (EC) No. 708/2007, to  exhaust their stock of invasive alien species of 
Union concern when these new rules enter in to force, it is justified to allow them 
two years to slaughter, sell or hand over the specimens to research or ex-situ 
conservation establishments. 
(33) Since the objectives of the pro posed action, namely the prevention and 
management of invasive alien species , cannot be sufficiently achieved by the 
Member States and can therefore, by reason of the scale and effects of the measures, be better achieved at Union le vel, the Union may adopt measures, in 
accordance with the principle of  subsidiarity as set out in  Article 5 of the Treaty 
on European Union. In accordance with the principle of proportio nality, as set out 
in that Article, this act does not go be yond what is necessary in order to achieve 
that objective, 
HAVE ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: 
CHAPTER  I 
GENERAL  PROVISIONS  
Article 1 
Subject matter 
This Regulation sets out rules to prevent, mi nimise and mitigate the adverse impacts of 
the introduction and spread, both intentional and unint entional, of invasi ve alien species 
on biodiversity and ecosystem services.  
Article 2 
Scope 
1. This Regulation applies to all invasive alien species in the Union as defined in 
Article 3(2). 
2. This Regulation does not apply to:  
(a) species changing their natural range  without human intervention, in 
response to changing ecological co nditions and climate change;  
(b) genetically modified organisms as defined in Article 2 of Directive 
2001/18/EC;  
EN 15   EN (c) animal disease regulated as defined in Article 4(1)(14) of Regulation 
(EU) No XXX/XXXX [animal hea lth law- COM(2013) 260 final];   
(d) pests of plants listed pursuant to Article 5(2) or Article 32(3) or 
subject to measures pursuant to Ar ticle 29(1) of Re gulation (EU) No 
XXX/XXXX [on plant health COM(2013) 267 final];  
(e) species listed in Annex IV of Regulation (EC) No 708/2007; 
(f) micro-organisms manufactured or imported for use in plant 
protection products already approved or for which an assessment is 
on-going under Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009; 
(g) micro-organisms manufactured or  imported for use in biocidal 
products already approved or which are being made available on the Union market pursuant to Regulation (EU) No 528/2012. 
Article 3 
Definitions  
For the purposes of this Regulation, th e following definitions shall apply: 
(1) 'alien species' means any live specimens of  species, subspecies or lower taxon of 
animals, plants, fungi or micro-organism s introduced outside its natural past or 
present distribution; it incl udes any part, gametes, seed s, eggs, or propagules of 
such species, as well as any hybrids, vari eties or breeds that  might survive and 
subsequently reproduce; 
(2) 'invasive alien species' means an alien species whose introduc tion or spread has 
been found, through risk assessment, to threaten biodivers ity and ecosystem 
services, and that may also have a negative impact on human health or the 
economy; 
(3) 'invasive alien species of Union concer n' means invasive alien species whose 
negative impact has been deemed such as to require concerted action at the level 
of the Union pursuant to Article 4(2);  
(4) 'biodiversity' means the variability among living organisms from all sources, 
including terrestrial, marine and othe r aquatic ecosystems and the ecological 
complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between 
species and of ecosystems;  
(5) 'ecosystem services' means the direct and indirect contributions of ecosystems to 
human wellbeing; 
(6) 'introduction' means the movement by hu man intervention of a species outside 
its past or present natural distribution; 
(7) 'research' means descriptive or experi mental work, undertaken under regulated 
conditions to acquire new knowledge or to  develop new products, including the 
initial phases of identification, characteris ation and isolation of  genetic features,  
EN 16   EN other than invasiveness, of  invasive alien species onl y insofar as essential for 
enabling the breeding of those feat ures into non-invasive species; 
(8) 'contained holding' means keeping an organi sm in closed facilities from which 
escape or spread is not possible; 
(9) 'ex-situ conservation' means the cons ervation of components of biological 
diversity outside their natural habitat;  
(10) 'pathways' means the routes and m echanisms of biological invasions; 
(11) 'early detection' means the confirmation of the presence of specimens of an 
invasive alien species in the environmen t before it has become widely spread;  
(12) 'eradication' means the complete and permanent removal of a population of 
invasive alien species by physical, chemical or biological means;  
(13) 'widely spread' means an invasive a lien species whose population has gone 
beyond the naturalisation stage, in which a population maintains a self-sustaining population, and has spread to co lonise a large part of the potential 
range where it can survive and reproduce; 
(14) 'management' means any physical, chemical  or biological action aimed at the 
eradication, population control or contai nment of a population of an invasive 
alien species; 
(15) 'containment' means actions aimed at cr eating barriers which minimise the risk 
for a population of an invasive alien speci es to disperse and spread beyond the 
invaded area; 
(16) 'population control' means physical, chemi cal or biological actions applied to a 
population of invasive alien species with  the aim of keeping the number of 
individuals as low as possible, so that , while not being able to eradicate the 
species, its invasive capacity and advers e impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem 
services, or on human health and the economy, are minimised. 
Article 4 
List of invasive alien species of Union concern  
1. A list of invasive alien species of Un ion concern shall be adopted, and updated, 
by the Commission by means of implementing acts on the basis of the criteria in 
paragraph 2. The implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the 
examination procedure referred to in Article 22(2).  
2. Invasive alien species shall only be incl uded on the list referred to in paragraph 1 
if they meet all of the following criteria:  
(a) they are, having regard to scientific evidence available, found to be alien 
to the territory of the Union ex cluding the outermost regions;  
(b) they are, having regard to scientif ic evidence available, found to be 
capable of establishing a viable population and spreading in the  
EN 17   EN environment under current or foreseeable climate change conditions 
anywhere in the Union excl uding the outermost regions;  
(c) it is demonstrated by a risk assessmen t performed pursuant to Article 5(1) 
that action at Union level is required to prevent their establishment and spread . 
3. Member States may submit to the Commission requests for the inclusion of 
invasive alien species on the list referre d to in paragraph 1. Those requests shall 
include all of the following criteria:  
(a) the name of the species; 
(b) a risk assessment performed in  accordance with Article 5(1); 
(c) evidence that the species complies with the criteria set out in paragraph 2. 
4. The list referred to in paragraph 1 sha ll comprise a maximum of fifty species 
including any species which may be adde d as result of the emergency measures 
foreseen by Article 9. 
Article 5 
Risk assessment and delegated acts 
1. The Commission or the Member States, as relevant, shall carry out the risk 
assessment referred to in Article 4(2)(c) and (3)(b) having regard to the following elements: 
(a) a description of the species with its taxonomic identity, its history, native 
range, potential range; 
(b) a description of its reproduction a nd spread patterns including an 
assessment of whether the environmental conditions necessary for reproduction and spread exist; 
(c) a description of the potential pathways of entry and spread, both 
intentional and unintentional, including where relevant the commodities 
with which the species are generally associated; 
(d) a thorough assessment of the risk of  entry, establishment, spread in 
relevant biogeographical regions in current conditions and in foreseeable 
climate change conditions; 
(e) a description of the current distribu tion of the species including whether 
the species is already present in th e Union or in neighbouring countries; 
(f) a description of the ne gative impact on biodiversity and ecosystem 
services, including on native species, pr otected sites, endangered habitats, 
on human health and the economy including an assessment of the 
magnitude of future impact;  
EN 18   EN (g) a quantified forecast of the damage costs at Union level demonstrating the 
significance for the Union, so as to further justify action because the overall damage would outweigh the cost of mitigation;  
(h) a description of the possible uses and benefits deriving from those uses of 
the species. 
2. The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts, in accordance 
with Article 23 to further specify the type of admissible scientific evidence referred to in Article 4(2)(b) and to provide a detailed description of the 
application of the elements set out in paragraph 1(a) to (h ) of this Article, 
including the methodology to be applied in the assessment of  such elements, 
taking into account relevant national and international standards and the need to 
prioritise action against species associated with or that have the potential to cause significant economic damage, includ ing that deriving from biodiversity 
loss. 
Article 6 
Provisions for the outermost regions  
1. Species included on the list referred to in Article 4(1) which are native in an 
outermost region shall not be subject to the provisions of Articles 7, 8, 11 and 13 to 17 in the outermost regi on where they are native.  
2. By [ 12 months from the entry into force of  this Regulation – date to be inserted ] 
at the latest, each Member State with outermost regions shall adopt a list of invasive alien species of concern for each of its outermost regions, in consultation with those regions. 
3. The species included on the lists referre d to in paragraph 2 shall within the 
respective outermost regions be subject to Articles 7, 8, 11 and 13 to 17.  
4. Member States shall immediately notify the Commission and shall inform the 
other Member States of the lists referred to in paragraph 2 and of any update of 
those lists. 
CHAPTER II 
PREVENTION  
Article 7 
Ban on invasive alien species of Union concern  
1. Species included on the list referred to in Article 4(1) shall not be intentionally:  
(a) brought into or tr ansited through the Union territory; 
(b) permitted to reproduce; 
(c) transported, except for the transpor tation of species to facilities for 
eradication; 
(d) placed on the market;  
EN 19   EN (e) used or exchanged; 
(f) kept or grown, including in contained holding;  
(g) released into the environment. 
2. Member States shall prevent the unint entional introduction of  invasive alien 
species of Union concern in accordance w ith the provisions of Article 11(3) and 
(4). 
Article 8 
Permits for research and ex-situ conservation  
1. By way of derogation from the bans set out in points (a), (b), (c), (e) and (f) of 
Article 7(1), Member States shall establish a permit system allowing establishments that are authorised to carry  out research or ex-situ conservation to 
perform such activities on invasive  alien species of Union concern.  
2. Member States shall empower the releva nt competent authorities to issue the 
permits referred to in paragraph 1 for ac tivities carried out in contained holding 
that fulfil all of the following conditions:  
(a) the invasive alien species  of Union concern is kept in and handled in 
closed facilities as referre d to in paragraph 3;  
(b) the activity is to be carried out by personnel possessi ng the scientific 
and technical qualifications prescribed by the competent authorities;  
(c) transport to and from the closed facility is authorised by the 
competent authority and is carried  out under conditions that exclude 
escape of the invasive alien species; 
(d) in case of invasive alie n species that are animals, they are marked 
where possible; 
(e) the risk of escape or spread or removal is effectively managed, 
taking into account the identity, bi ology and means of dispersal of 
the species, the activity and the closed facility envisaged, the 
interaction with the environment a nd other relevant factors relating 
to the risk posed by that species;  
(f) a continuous surveillance and a c ontingency plan to cater for 
possible escape or spread is drawn up, including an eradication plan. 
(g) The permit referred to in paragraph 1 shall be limited to the number 
of species and specimens that is n ecessary for the research or ex-situ 
conservation concerned and shall not exceed the capacity of the closed facility. It shall include the restrictions necessary to mitigate 
the risk of escape or spread of the species concerned. It shall 
accompany the invasive alien species to which it refers at all times when these are kept, brought into and transported w ithin the Union.  
EN 20   EN 3. Specimens shall be considered to be ke pt in closed facili ties if the following 
conditions are fulfilled: 
(a) they are physically isolated and th ey cannot escape or spread or be 
removed from the facilities were  they are kept by unauthorised 
persons; cleaning and maintenance protocols shall ensure that no 
specimens or reproducible parts can escape, spread or be removed by 
unauthorised persons; 
(b) their removal from the facilities or disposal or destruction is done in 
such way as to exclude propagation  or reproduction outside of the 
facilities.  
4. When applying for a permit, the esta blishment shall provide all necessary 
evidence to allow the competent author ity to assess whether the conditions 
referred to in paragraphs 2 and 3 are fulfilled.  
Article 9 
Emergency measures  
1. Where a Member State has evidence c oncerning the presence in, or imminent 
danger of entry into its territory of an  invasive alien species, which is not 
included on the list referred to in Articl e 4(1) but which the relevant competent 
authorities have found, on the basis of pr eliminary scientific evidence, to be 
likely to meet the criteria set out in Article 4(2), it may immediately take 
emergency measures, consisting of any of the bans set out in Article 7(1).  
2. The Member State introducing emergenc y measures in their national territory 
which include the application of points (a ), (c) or (d) of Article 7(1) shall 
immediately notify to the Commission a nd the other Member States of the 
measures taken and the eviden ce justifying those measures. 
3. The Member State concerned shall carry out a risk assessment pursuant to 
Article 5 for the species s ubject to the emergency meas ures without delay, given 
the available technical a nd scientific information, and in any case within 24 
months from the day of the adoption of the decision to introduce emergency 
measures, with a view to in clude those species on the list referred to in Article 
4(1). 
4. Where the Commission receives the notifica tion referred to in paragraph 2 or has 
other evidence concerning the presence in or  imminent danger of entry into the 
Union of an invasive alien species which is  not included on the list referred to in 
Article 4(1) but is likely to meet the crit eria set out in Article 4(2), it shall, by 
means of an implementing act, conclude on the basis of pre liminary scientific 
evidence whether the species is likel y to meet these criteria and adopt 
emergency measures for the Union consis ting of any of the bans set out in 
Article 7(1) for a limited time as regards the risks posed by that species, where it 
concludes that the criteria set out in Article 4(2) are likely to be fulfilled. Those  
EN 21   EN implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination 
procedure referred to in Article 22(2) .  
5. If provided for in the implementing acts re ferred to in paragraph 4 the measures 
taken by the Member States pursuant to  paragraph 1 shall be repealed or 
amended. 
6. The Member State taking emergency measures may maintain those measures 
until an implementing act has been adopte d, establishing emergency measures at 
Union level in accordance with paragraph 4 or including the species on the list 
referred to in Article 4(1) on the basis of the risk assessment performed by the 
Member State concerned pur suant to paragraph 3. 
Article 10 
Restrictions on the intentional release of invasive alien species of Member State 
concern  
1. Member States shall ban any intentional release into the environment, that is the 
process by which an organism is placed into the environment, for any purpose, 
without the necessary measures to prev ent its escape and spread, of invasive 
alien species other than invasive alie n species of Union concern for which 
Member States consider, on the basis of scientific evidence, that the adverse 
impact from their release and spread, even where not fully ascertained, is of 
significance on their national territory ('invasive alien species of Member State 
concern').  
2. Member States shall inform the Commissi on and the other Member States of the 
species it considers as invasive alie n species of Member State concern. 
3. The competent authorities of Member Stat es may issue authorisations for certain 
intentional releases of invasive alien sp ecies of Member State concern, provided 
that the following conditions have been fully taken into account:  
(a) there are no alternative non-invasive species that can be used to obtain 
similar benefits; 
(b) the benefits of the release are excepti onally high in comparison to the risks 
of damage of the species concerned; 
(c) the release will include risk mitigati on measures so as to minimise the 
impact on biodiversity and ecosystem se rvices as well as on human health 
and the economy; 
(d) adequate surveillance is in place an d a contingency plan is drawn up to 
eradicate the species to be applie d in case the damage caused by the 
species is considered by the competent authority to be unacceptable. 
4. Any authorisation for the introducti on of alien species for their use in 
aquaculture shall be issued in accordan ce with the provisions of Regulation (EC) 
No 708/2007.   
EN 22   EN Article 11 
Action plans on the pathway s of invasive alien species  
1. Member States shall, by [ 18 months from the entry into force of this Regulation 
– date to be inserted ] at the latest carry out a comprehensive analysis of the 
pathways of unintentional introduction and spread of invasive alien species in 
their territory and identify the pathways which require priority action ('priority pathways'), because of the volume of species or of the damage caused by the species entering the Union through them. In doing so, Member States shall in 
particular focus on an analys is of the pathways  of introduction of  invasive alien 
species of Union concern. 
2. By [ 3 years from the entry into force of this Regulation  - date to be inserted ] at 
the latest, each Member State shall esta blish and implement an action plan to 
address the priority pathways it has identified pursuant to paragraph 1. That 
action plan shall include a timetable for act ion and shall describe the measures to 
be adopted to address the priority pa thways and to prevent the unintentional 
introduction and spread of invasive alie n species into the Union and into or 
within the environment.  
3. The action plan referred to  in paragraph 2 shall in clude measures designed on 
the basis of an analysis of costs and benefits with at least the following:  
(a) awareness raising measures;  
(b) regulatory measures to minimise contamination by invasive alien 
species of goods and commodities, and any vehicle and equipment, including measures tackling transpor t of invasive alien species from 
third countries;  
(c) regulatory measures to ensure appropriate checks at the Union 
borders, other than the official c ontrols pursuant to  Article 13;  
(d) the measures of the Internationa l Convention for the Control and 
Management of Ships Ballast Water and Sediments
.  
4. The action plan developed in accordance with paragraph 2 shall be transmitted 
to the Commission without delay. Every f our years after the last transmission, 
Member States shall review  the action plan and retransmit it to the Commission. 
CHAPTER III 
EARLY DETECTION AND RAPID ERADICATION  
Article 12 
Surveillance system  
1. By [ 18 months from the date of entry into force of this Regulation – date to be 
inserted ] at the latest, Member States shall ha ve an official surveillance system 
in place which collects and records data on the occurrence in the environment of 
invasive alien species by survey, monito ring or other procedur es to prevent the 
spread of invasive alie n species into the Union.  
EN 23   EN 2. The surveillance system referre d to in paragraph 1 shall:  
(a) cover the territory of the Member States to determine the presence 
and distribution of new as  well as already esta blished invasive alien 
species of Union concern; 
(b) include marine waters as define d in Article 3(1) of Directive 
2008/56/EC; 
(c) be sufficiently dynamic to detect rapidly the appearance in the 
environment of the territory or part  of the territory of any invasive 
alien species of Union concern, whose presence was previously 
unknown; 
(d) make use of the information provided by the existing systems of 
surveillance and monitoring set out in Article 11 of Directive 92/43/EEC, Article 11 of Direc tive 2008/56/EC and Article 8 of 
Directive 2000/60/EC. 
Article 13  
Official controls at the Union borders 
1. By [ 12 months from the date of entry into force of this Regulation – date to be 
inserted ] at the latest, Member States shall have in place fully functioning 
structures to perform the official cont rols on animals and plants including their 
seeds, eggs, or propagules, brought into the Union, necessary to prevent the intentional introduction into the Union of invasive alien species of Union 
concern. 
2. Member States authorities shall perform the official controls at the Union 
borders on the goods mentioned in paragr aph 1 being brought into the Union 
verifying that either of the follo wing requirements are fulfilled:  
(a) that they are not on the list referred to in Article 4(1); 
(b) that the permits referred to in Article 8 are valid. 
3. The verifications, through a documenta ry, identity and, where necessary, 
physical check, referred to in paragraph 2 sha ll take place: 
(a) at border control posts provided for in Article 57 of Regulation (EU) 
No XXX/XXXX [on official cont rols COM(2013)265] in the case of 
goods mentioned in paragraph 1, falling under Article 45 of that Regulation and subject to official c ontrols at border control posts; in 
this case Member States shall c onfer the responsibility to the 
competent authorities provided for in Article 3 of Regulation (EU) No XXX/XXXX [on official  controls COM(2013)265] 
(b) at the point of entry on the customs territory of the Community in 
the case of goods mentioned in pa ragraph 1 to which Article 45 of 
Regulation (EU) No XXX/XXX X [on official controls  
EN 24   EN COM(2013)265] does not apply or exem pted from official controls 
at border control posts according to Article 46 of the same Regulation; in this case Member States shall confer the responsibility to the customs aut horities for the placing under any 
customs procedure of these goods.  
4. The authorities designated for border cont rols shall also be empowered with the 
responsibility to seize and confiscate the organisms not  in compliance with the 
conditions pursuant to paragraph 2. Where organisms are confiscated, they shall 
be entrusted to the competent authority in charge of applying this Regulation. 
Member States may delegate specif ic functions to other authorities. 
5. The record of the outcome of the offici al controls performed and any decisions 
taken on that basis, includi ng the decision to reject a consignment, shall take into 
account the compliance with requirem ents in paragraph 2(a) and (b).   
6. Member States shall put in place pr ocedures to ensure the exchange of 
information relevant to arriving consi gnments and the efficient and effective 
coordination and cooperation for the verifications refe rred to in paragraph 2 
between all authorities involved and the operator of the consignment. 
7. Member States shall develop guidelines  and training progra mmes to facilitate 
the identification and detection of inva sive alien species of Union concern 
through cooperation between all authorities involved in the verifications referred 
to in paragraph 2. The training programmes  for custom authorities shall include 
information on filling the Single Administrative Document on which the customs declaration is made. 
Article 14   
Early detection notifications  
1. Member States shall use the surveillance system established in accordance with 
Article 12 and the information collected at official controls provided for by 
Article 13 to support early de tection of the entry or pr esence of invasive alien 
species of Union concern. 
2. Member States shall notify in writing w ithout delay the early detection of the 
presence of invasive alien species of  Union concern to the Commission and 
inform the other Member States, in particular:  
(a) the appearance on their territory or part of their territory of any 
species included on the list referred to in Article 4(1) whose presence was previously unknown in thei r territory or in  part of their 
territory;  
(b) the re-appearance on their territory or  part of their territory of any 
species included on the list referred to in Article 4(1) after it has been reported as eradicated.   
EN 25   EN Article 15 
Rapid eradication at an early stage of invasion  
1. After early detection and within three months after the transmission of the early 
detection notification referred to in Article 14, Member States shall apply eradication measures and notify those measures to the Commission and inform the other Member States.  
2. When applying eradication measures, Me mber States shall ensure that the 
methods used are effective in achieving the complete and permanent removal of 
the population of the invasive alien species  concerned, with du e regard to human 
health and the environment, and ensuring that targeted animals are spared any 
avoidable pain, distress or suffering.  
3. The surveillance system provided for in Article 12 shall be designed and used to 
monitor also the effectiven ess of the eradication.  
4. Member States shall notify the Commi ssion and inform the other Member States 
when a population of an invasive alie n species of Union concern has been 
eradicated. 
5. Member States shall also inform the Commission and the other Member States 
of the effectiveness of the measures taken. 
Article 16 
Derogations from the rapid eradication obligation  
1. Member States may submit to the Commission an application for a derogation 
from the obligation to apply the eradicat ion measures referred to in Article 15 
for invasive alien species of Union concer n that have been subject to an early 
detection notification refe rred to in Article 14.  
2. Applications for derogations shall be  based on sound scien tific evidence and 
only be submitted if the following conditions are met:  
(a) eradication is demonstrated to be  technically unfeasible because the 
eradication methods available cannot be applied in the environment where the species are established;  
(b) a cost-benefit analysis demonstrates on the basis of the available data 
with reasonable certainty that th e costs will, in the long term, be 
exceptionally high and dispropor tionate to the benefits of 
eradication; 
(c) eradication methods are not availabl e or are available but have very 
serious negative impacts on human health or the environment. 
3. Member States shall submit applications for derogation, duly motivated and 
accompanied by the evidence referred to in poi nts (a), (b) and (c) of paragraph 2, 
to the Commission.   
EN 26   EN 4. The Commission shall decide, by means of implementing acts in accordance 
with paragraph 6, to approve or reject th e application referred to in paragraph 3. 
5. Those implementing acts shall be adopted  in accordance w ith the examination 
procedure referred to in Article 22(2). 
6. Member States shall ensure that containment measures are in place to avoid 
further spread of the species until an implementing decision is adopted on the 
derogation pursuant to paragraph 3. 
7. Where a derogation from the eradication obligation is approved, the species shall 
be subject to the management measur es referred to in Article 17. If the 
application for derogation is  rejected, the Member State concerned shall apply 
the eradication measures referred to in Article 15 without delay. 
CHAPTER IV 
MANAGEMENT OF INVASIVE ALIEN SPECIES THAT ARE WIDELY SPREAD  
Article 17 
Management measures  
1. By 12 months of an invasive alien speci es being included on the list referred to 
in Article 4(1) at the latest, Member States shall have in place management 
measures for those invasive alien speci es of Union concern which the Member 
States have found to be wide ly spread on their territory, so that their impacts on 
biodiversity and ecosystem services, human health and the economy are 
minimised. Those management measures sh all be based on an analysis of costs 
and benefits and also include the restorat ion measures referred to in Article 18.  
2. The management measures shall consis t of physical, chemical or biological 
actions aimed at the eradication, popul ation control or containment of a 
population of an invasive alien speci es. Where appropriate, management 
measures shall include actions applied to the receiving ecosystem aimed at 
increasing its resilience to cu rrent and future invasions.  
3. When applying management measures, Me mber States shall ensure that the 
methods used have due regard for human health and the environment and that, when animals are targeted, they are sp ared any avoidable pain, distress or 
suffering.  
4. The surveillance system provided for in Article 12 shall be designed and used to 
monitor how effective eradication, populat ion control or containment measures 
are in minimising the impacts on biodive rsity and ecosystems services, human 
health or the economy.  
5. Where there is a significant risk that an  invasive alien species of Union concern 
will spread to a neighbouring Member State, the Member States in which the species is widely spread  shall immediately notify the neighbouring Member 
States and the Commission. Where appropr iate, the Member States concerned  
EN 27   EN shall establish jointly agreed management measures. In the cases where third 
countries may also be affected by the sp read, the Member State affected shall 
consider the need to inform the concerned third countries. 
Article 18 
Restoration of the damaged ecosystems  
1. Member States shall take proportionate  restoration measures to assist the 
recovery of an ecosystem that has b een degraded, damaged, or destroyed by 
invasive alien species  of Union concern.   
2. The restoration measures referred to in  paragraph 1 shall in clude at least the 
following:  
(a) measures to increase the ability of an ecosystem exposed to 
disturbance to resist, absorb, accommodate to and recover from the 
effects of disturbance;  
(b) measures ensuring the preventio n of reinvasion following an 
eradication campaign. 
CHAPTER V 
FINAL PROVISIONS  
Article 19 
Reporting  
1. By [ three years from the date of entry into force of this Regulation – date to be 
inserted ] at the latest, and every four years thereafter, Member States shall 
transmit to the Commission updated information on the following:  
(a) a description of the surveillance system pursuant to Article 12 and 
official control system on alien sp ecies entering the Union pursuant 
to Article 13; 
(b) the distribution of the invasive alien species of Union concern 
present in their territory; 
(c) information about the species consider ed as invasive alien species of 
Member State concern purs uant to Article 10(2); 
(d) the action plan referred to in Article 11(2);  
(e) aggregated information covering th e entire national territory on the 
eradication measures taken in ac cordance with Article 15 and the 
management measures provided for in Article 17 and their effectiveness. 
(f) the format of the permits referred to in Article 8. 
2. Member States shall notify the Commi ssion and inform the other Member States 
of the competent authorities in char ge of applying this Regulation.   
EN 28   EN 3. Within 5 years from [ date of adoption ], the Commission shall assess the 
effectiveness of the current Regulation including the list referred to in Article 4(1), the action plans referred to in Artic le 11(3), the survei llance system, border 
checks, eradication obligation and mana gement obligations, and submit a report 
to the European Parliament and to th e Council which may be accompanied by 
proposals for its amendment including cha nges to the list in Article 4(1). 
Article 20 
Information support mechanism  
1. The Commission shall gradually establ ish an information support mechanism 
necessary to facilita te the application of this Regulation. 
2. In an initial phase the system sh all include a data support mechanism 
interconnecting existing data systems on inva sive alien species, paying particular 
attention to information on the invasive a lien species of Union concern so as to 
facilitate the reporting pursuant to Article 19. 
3. In a second phase, the data  support mechanism referred to in paragraph 2 shall 
become a tool to assist the Commission in handling the relevant notifications 
required in Article 14(2). 
4. In a third phase, the data support mech anism referred to in paragraph 2 shall 
become a mechanism for exchanging in formation on other aspects of the 
application of this Regulation.  
Article 21 
Public participation  
1. Where action plans are being established pursuant to Article 11 and where 
measures are being established pursuant  to Article 17, Member States shall 
ensure that the public is given early and effective opportunities to participate in 
their preparation, modification or re view using the arrangements already 
determined by the Member States in accordance with the second subparagraph 
of Article 2(3) of Directive 2003/35/EC.  
Article 22 
Committee 
1. The Commission shall be assisted by the Committee. That Committee shall be a 
committee within the meaning of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011
23. 
2. Where reference is made to this para graph, Article 5 of Regulation (EU) No 
182/2011 shall apply.  
                                                 
23 OJ L 55, 28.2.2011, p. 13.   
EN 29   EN Article 23 
Exercise of the delegation  
1. The power to adopt delegated acts is c onferred on the Commission subject to the 
conditions laid down in this Article. 
2. The delegation of power referred to in Article 5(2) shall be conferred on the 
Commission for an undetermined period of time from the entry into force of this 
Regulation.  
3. The delegation of power referred to in Article 5(2) may be revoked at any time 
by the European Parliament or by the Council. A decision to revoke shall put an end to the delegation of the power specified in that decision. It  shall take effect 
the day following the publication of the decision in the Official Journal of the 
European Union or at a later date specified therei n. It shall not affect the validity 
of any delegated act already in force. 
4. As soon as it adopts a delegated act, the Commission shall notify it 
simultaneously to the European Parliament and to the Council. 
5. A delegated act adopted pursuant to Article  5(2) shall enter into force only if no 
objection has been expressed either by th e European Parliament or the Council 
within a period of two months of notif ication of that act to the European 
Parliament and the Council or if, be fore the expiry pe riod, the European 
Parliament and the Council have both in formed the Commission that they will 
not object. That period shall be extended by two months at the initiative of the 
European Parliament or of the Council.  
Article 24 
Administrative measures and sanctions  
1. Member States shall lay down the rules on administrative measures and 
sanctions applicable to breaches of this Regulation. Member States shall take all 
necessary measures to ensure that they are enforced. The measures and sanctions 
provided for must be effective,  proportionate and dissuasive. 
Article 25 
Sanctioning powers  
1. Competent authorities shall have the pow er to impose administrative measures 
and sanctions on any natura l or legal person who doe s not comply with this 
Regulation.  
2. Without prejudice to their supervisory pow ers, competent aut horities shall have 
the power to impose at least the following administrative measures and sanctions: 
(a) an order requiring the natural or legal person responsible for the 
breach to cease the conduct and to desist from a repetition of that 
conduct;  
EN 30   EN (b) an order requiring the confiscatio n of the non-compliant invasive 
alien species of Uni on concern at issue; 
(c) a temporary ban on an activity; 
(d) permanent withdrawal of the authorisation of an activity; 
(e) administrative pecuniary sanctions; 
(f) an order requiring the natural or  legal person to take remedial 
measures.  
3. When determining the type of administ rative measures and sanctions, competent 
authorities shall take into account al l relevant circumstances, including: 
(a) the gravity and durat ion of the breach; 
(b) the degree of involvement of the pe rson responsible for the invasion; 
(c) the profit the natural or legal person makes from the breach; 
(d) the environmental, social and economic damage caused by the 
breach; 
(e) the level of cooperation of the person responsible with the competent 
authority; 
(f) previous breaches by the person responsible. 
4. Member States shall ensure that decisi ons taken by the competent authorities in 
accordance with this Article are su bject to the right of appeal. 
Article 26 
Transitional provisions for non-commercial owners  
1. By way of derogation from to Article 7(1)(c) and (f), owners of companion 
animals not kept for commercial purposes that belong to the species included on 
the list referred to in Article 4(1) shall be allowed to keep them until the end of the animals' natural life, provide d the following conditions are met: 
(a) the specimens were kept before their inclusion on the list referred to 
in Article 4(1); 
(b) the specimens are kept in cont ained holding and all appropriate 
measures are put in place to ensu re that reproduc tion or escape are 
not possible. 
2. Competent authorities shall inform non- commercial owners of the risks posed by 
keeping the specimens referred to in paragraph 1 and the measures to be taken to 
minimise the risk of reproducing and escaping through awareness-raising and 
education programmes organised by Member States. 
3. For non-commercial owners who cannot en sure that the conditions set out in 
paragraph 1 are met, Member States shall offer to them the possibility of having  
EN 31   EN their specimens taken over from them a nd shall give due regard to animal 
welfare when handling them.  
Article 27 
Transitional provisions for commercial stocks  
1. Keepers of a commercial stock of specime ns of invasive alien species acquired 
before their inclusion on the list referred to  in Article 4(1) shall be allowed up to 
two years after inclusion of the species in that list to keep and transport in order to sell or hand over live specimens or re producible parts of those species to the 
research or ex-situ conservation institutions referred to in Article 8, provided that the specimens are kept and tran sported in containe d holding and all 
appropriate measures are put in place to  ensure that reproduction or escape are 
not possible, or to slaughter them to exhaust their stock. 
2. Where a permit has been issued in acco rdance with Article 6 of Regulation (EC) 
No 708/2007 for an aquaculture species that  is subsequently included in the list 
of alien species of Union concern, and the duration of the permit exceeds the period referred to in paragraph 1, the Memb er State shall withdraw the permit in 
accordance with Article 12 of Regulati on (EC) No 708/2007 by the end of the 
period referred to in paragraph 1.  
Article 28 
Entry into force  
This Regulation shall enter into force on the [ 1 January or 1 July ] following its 
publication in the Official Journal of the European Union .  
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member 
States. 
Done at Brussels, 
For the European Parliament For the Council 
The President The President  
EN 32   EN Simplified Financial Statement  
TITLE OF DRAFT PROPOSAL : 
Regulation of the European Parliament a nd of the Council on the prevention and 
management of the introduction and spread of invasive alien species. 
POLICY AREA (S) AND ABB  ACTIVITY (IES) CONCERNED : 
Title 07 Environment 
07 01 02 External staff and other management  expenditure in s upport of Environment 
policy area 
LEGAL BASIS  
  Administrative autonomy X Other: Article 192(1) TFEU 
DESCRIPTION AND GROUNDS : 
Invasive alien species (IAS) are species that  are transported acro ss ecological boundaries, 
intentionally or unint entionally by human action, outside of  their natural distribution and 
that establish and spread in their new locatio n to an extent that they have a negative 
impact on biodiversity, but also on human hea lth and the economy. IAS are a major cause 
of biodiversity loss, besides causing social and economic da mage, and tackling them is 
crucial to meet the EU target of halting the loss of biodiversity by 2020. Furthermore, it 
has been estimated that IAS are costing €12 billion/year to the EU in terms of damage 
and control costs. The purpose of this draf t Regulation is thus to establish an EU 
framework to prevent, minimise and mitigat e the adverse impacts of IAS on biodiversity 
and ecosystem services and to seek to m itigate social and economic damage. Member 
States are already taking measures to tack le some IAS, but ac tion is predominantly 
reactive, seeking to minimise the damage  already being cause d without sufficient 
attention to prevention or to detect and respond to new thre ats. Efforts are fragmented, 
not covering the entire EU and often poorly co-ordinated, which means that their overall 
effectiveness is reduced. Currently a comprehe nsive legal framework to tackle IAS at EU 
level does not exist. This draft Regulation ai ms to address this pol icy gap, in line also 
with its international commitments under the Convention of Biological Diversity. 
DURATION AND ESTIMATED FINANCIAL IMPACT : 
Period of application: 
 Proposal with a limited duration: in force from [ date] to [ date] 
X Proposal with an indefinite  duration: in force from [ forecasted 2015 tbc ]  
EN 33   EN Estimated budgetary impact: 
The draft proposal entails: 
 savings 
X additional costs (if so, specify the heading(s) of the multiannual financial 
framework concerned): H eading 5 of the MFF 2014-2020  
Third-party contributions to the financing of the draft proposal: 
The proposal does not provide for co-financing by third parties  
Explanation of figures: 
Implementation of aspects of this draft Regulation will requi re the running of a 
Committee. On the basis of the costs of r unning other similar Committees, we estimated 
the following costs under heading 07 01 02 11 03 – Committees (see table below): 
- meetings/year 
- 1 representative/MS 
- maximum travel and subsisten ce cost of €800 euro/MS/meeting 
This would bring the cost for the Commission to approximately €80,000/year  
COMPATIBILITY WITH THE CURRENT MULTIANNUAL FINANCIAL FRAMEWORK : 
X The proposal is compatible w ith existing fina ncial programming. 
 The proposal will entail reprogramming of the relevant heading in the 
multiannual financial framework. 
 The proposal requires use of the flex ibility instrument or revision of the 
multiannual financial framework24. 
IMPACT OF SAVINGS OR ADDITIONAL COST S ON THE ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES : 
 Resources to be obtained by means of internal redeployment within 
departments 
X Resources already allocated to  the department(s) concerned 
 Resources to be requested duri ng the next allocation procedure 
The human and administrative resources requ ired will be met by staff from the DG 
already assigned to the management of th e action, with the support of staff already 
deployed to work on aspects linked to the im plementation of this draft Regulation. The 
main tasks of the assigned officials will  be: the management of the Committee, the 
management of the interaction with the Memb er States, to coordinate with the Joint 
Research Centre (JRC) and in general suppor t the correct implementation of this draft 
Regulation.  
                                                 
24 See points 19 and 24 of the Interinstitutional Agreement for the period 2007-2013.   
EN 34   EN The system is designed to pool resources a nd expertise from differe nt services of the 
Commission, which will allow to run the system with limited dedicated staff resources: in 
particular, the IAS policy will benefit from th e contribution of JRC staff involved in the 
EASIN project25, as well as from the expertise of other Commission services and 
agencies working in areas of relevance to  IAS policy (in partic ular, the European 
Environment Agency has dedicated staff wo rking on IAS who will  be mobilised in 
support of implementation work). If necessar y, staff will be redeployed on the basis of 
the allocations which may be granted to the managing DG under the annual allocation 
procedure in the light of ex isting budgetary constraints. 
                                                 
25 The European Alien Species Information Networ k (EASIN) aims at increasing access to data and 
information on alien species in Europe. EASIN f acilitates the exploration of existing alien species 
information from distributed sources through a network of interoperable web services, following 
internationally recognized standards and protocol s. The project was initiated in support of the 
implementation of the Biodiversity Strategy and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive and it 
is available to the public since May 2012  
EN 35  ESTIMATED FINANCIAL IMPACT (savings or additional  costs) FOR APPROPRIATIONS OF AN ADMINISTRATIVE 
NATURE OR FOR HUMAN RESOURCES 
FTE=Full-Time Equivalent EUR million (to 3 decimal places)  
"The human resources appropriations required will be met by appropriations from the DG that are already assigned to management of the action  and/or have 
been redeployed within the DG, together if necessary with any additional allocation which may be granted to the managing DG und er the annual allocation 
procedure and in the light of budgetary constraints."  
*The estimated appropriation include staff from DG ENV as well as one FTE in  JRC **Average allowance of an END Year Year Year Year Year Year Year
FTE in persons/year  2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Total 
Heading 5  FT
E approp.  FT
E approp.  FT
E approp.  FT
E approp.  FT
E approp.  FT
E approp.  FT
E approp.    
Establishment plan posts (officials and/or temporary staff)  
07 01 01 01 (Headquarters and 
Commission’s Representation 
Offices)    0.199* 
 0.199  0.199  0.199  0.199  0.199  0.199  1.393 
07 01 01 02 (Delegations)                   
External staff   
07 01 02 01 (‘Global envelope’)    0.002**    0.002    0.002    0.002    0.002    0.002    0.002   0.014 
07 01 02 02 (Delegations)                               
Other budget lines (specify)                                
Subtotal – Heading 5    0.201     0.201    0.201    0.201    0.201    0.201    0.201  1.407 
Outside Heading 5    
Establishment plan posts (officials and/or temporary staff)  
07 01 05 01 (Indirect research)                              
10 01 05 01 (Direct research)                               
External staff  
07 01 04 yy                               
- Headquarters                                
- Delegations                                
07 01 05 02 (Indirect research)                               
10 01 05 02 (Direct research)                               
Other budget lines (Specify)                                
Subtotal – Outside Heading 5      
                          
TOTAL   0.201 
 0.201  0.201  0.201  0.201  0.201  0.2014  1.407 for the first 7 years 
 
EN 36  Other administrative appropriations EUR million (to 3 decimal places)  
Year Year Year Year Year Year Year   
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 TOTAL 
Heading 5                  
Headquarters:                  
07 01 02 11 01 - Mission and representation expenses                  
07 01 02 11 02 - Conference and meeting costs                  
07 01 02 11 03 - Committees  0.08  0.08  0.08  0.08  0.08  0.08  0.08  0.56 for the first 7 years  
07 01 02 11 04 - Studies and consultations                  
07 01 03 01 03 – ICT equipment26                 
07 01 03 01 04 – ICT services2                 
Other budget lines ( specify where necessary )                 
Delegations:                  
07 01 02 12 01 – Missions, conferenc es and representation expenses                  
07 01 02 12 02 - Further training of staff                  
07 01 03 02 01 – Acquisition, renting and related expenditure                  
07 01 03 02 02 Equipment, furniture, supplies and services                  
Subtotal – Heading 5  0.08  0.08  0.08  0.08  0.08  0.08  0.08  0.56 for the first 7 years  
Outside Heading 5          
07 01 04 yy – Expenditure on technical and administrative assistance (not including 
external staff) from operational  appropriations (former 'BA' lines)                  
- Headquarters                  
- Delegations                  
07 01 05 03 - Other management expenditure for indirect research                  
10 01 05 03 - Other management expenditure for direct research                  
Other budget lines ( specify where necessary )                 
Subtotal – Outside Heading 5                  
GRAND TOTAL  0.08  0.08  0.08  0.08  0.08  0.08  0.08  0.56 for the first 7 years  
 
                                                 
26 ICT: Information and Communication Technologies