Opinion of the Advocate General — ECLI:EU:C:2011:23
Date: 2011-01-20
Language of the case: French
Subject matter: Environment
Procedure: Action for failure to fulfil obligations - successful
Origin: France

Summary of case files and complaints, T‑PVS(2010)02RevE, 15 October 2010, p. 6. 7 - Council Decision of 3 December 1981 concerning the conclusion of the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (OJ 1982 L 38, p. 1). The Convention is reproduced in OJ 1982 L 38, p. 3. 8 – Draft European Action Plan for the conservation of the Common hamster (Cricetus cricetus, L. 1758), 15 September 2008, Document T-PVS/Inf (2008) 9. 9 – Council Directive 79/409/EEC of 2 April 1979 on the conservation of wild birds (OJ 1979 L 103, p. 1). Consolidated by Directive 2009/147/EC of 30 November 2009 (OJ 2010 L 20, p. 7). 10 – Report on the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (1997-1998) (Article 9(2)) (presented by the European Commission), SEC(2001) 515 final. See also the Resolution of the Council of the European Communities and of the representatives of the Governments of the Member States, meeting within the Council of 19 October 1987 on the continuation and implementation of a European Community policy and action programme on the environment (1987-1992), OJ 1987 C 328, [p. 1], paragraph 5.1.6. The judgment in Case C‑75/01 Commission v Luxembourg [2003] ECR I‑1585, paragraph 57, does not preclude the Convention from being taken into account because the Court found only that implementation of the Convention is not sufficient for implementation of the Habitats Directive in so far as the Convention falls short of the Directive. 11 – Arrêté du 23 avril 2007 fixant la liste des mammifères terrestres protégés sur l’ensemble du territoire et les modalités de leur protection, JORF No 108, 10 May 2007, p. 8367, Text No 152. 12 - Case C‑183/05 Commission v Ireland [2007] ECR I‑137, paragraph 29 et seq. See also judgment of 16 March 2006 in Case C‑518/04 Commission v Greece (Milos viper), paragraph 16. 13 - Guidance document on the strict protection of animal species of Community interest under the Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC, February 2007, available in English, French and German at http://circa.europa.eu/Public/irc/env/species_protection/home. 14 - Referred to in Case C‑342/05 Commission v Finland [2007] ECR I‑4713, paragraph 30 (Wolf hunting). 15 - Guidance document, cited in footnote 13, p. 42, paragraph 57. 16 - Ibid., p. 42, paragraph 58. 17 - Ibid., p. 42, paragraph 59. 18 - Opinion of Advocate General Léger in Case C-103/00 Commission v Greece [2002] ECR I‑1147, point 43 (Caretta caretta), and in Case C‑183/05 Commission v Ireland [2007] ECR I‑137, point 25. 19 - Guidance document, cited in footnote 13, p. 41, paragraph 53. 20 - Ibid., p. 41, paragraph 53. 21 - Ibid., p. 41, paragraph 55. 22 - Case C‑61/94 Commission v Germany [1996] ECR I‑3989, paragraph 52; Case C‑341/95 Bettati [1998] ECR I‑4355, paragraph 20; Case C‑286/02 Bellio F. lli [2004] ECR I‑3465, paragraph 33; Case C-306/05 SGAE [2006] ECR I‑11519, paragraph 35; and Case C‑161/08 International Verhuis- en Transportbedrijf Jan de Lely [2009] ECR I‑4075, paragraph 38. 23 - In the case of other species, the territorial protection under Articles 4 to 6 of the Habitats Directive is applicable, which expressly covers their other habitats. 24 - Case C‑103/00 Commission v Greece [2002] I‑1147, paragraph 32 et seq. (Caretta caretta). 25 - Commission v Ireland, cited in footnote 12, paragraph 32. 26 - Guidance document, cited in footnote 13, p. 20, paragraph 61, p. 26, paragraph 10, p. 28, paragraph 19, and p. 40, paragraph 49. 27 - Ibid., p. 20. 28 - Kupfernagel, Populationsdynamik und Habitatnutzung des Feldhamsters (Cricetus cricetus) in Südost-Niedersachsen, Dissertation 2007, p. 82. 29 - See point 33 et seq. above. 30 - See Case C‑418/04 Commission v Ireland [2007] ECR I‑10947, paragraph 82 et seq. regarding omissions in relation to a potential bird protection area. The case‑law on the transfer of a Member State’s own resources to the European Union points in the same direction: see Case C‑239/06 Commission v Italy [2009] ECR I‑11913, paragraph 56 et seq., and Case C‑284/05 Commission v Finland [2009] ECR I‑11705, paragraph 55 et seq. 31 - Case C‑186/06 Commission v Spain [2007] ECR I‑12093, paragraph 15 et seq. and the case-law cited. 32 - Case C‑418/04 Commission v Ireland [2007] ECR I‑10947, paragraph 179. 33 - See the French Government’s statement of 7 April 2009, Annex 7 to the application, p. 98. 34 - Judgment of 25 July 2008 in Case C‑504/06 Commission v Italy, paragraph 24; Case C‑241/08 Commission v France [2010] ECR I‑1697, paragraph 59; and Case C‑458/08 Commission v Portugal [2010] ECR I‑0000, paragraph 81. 35 - According to the statement of 7 August 2008, in that year 643 European hamster burrows were found in the whole of its historical range, of which only 642 were in the repopulation area; see Annex 6 to the application, p. 91 et seq. 36 - In the Plan de conservation 2007 – 2011 pour le Hamster commun (Cricetus cricetus) en Alsace, Bilan de comptages 2009, p. 121 et seq., this area is named as an example of a positive development in the suitable cultivation of land in the longer term. 37 - Plan de conservation 2007 – 2011 pour le Hamster commun (Cricetus cricetus) en Alsace, Bilan de comptages 2009, p. 117 of the application, and the French Government notice in respect of the 2010 figures. That institution evidently plays an important part in various elements of the action programme in favour of the European hamster: see the Plan d’action pour le Hamster commun (Cricetus cricetus) en Alsace, Vol. 1, 2007 – 2011, pp. 8, 21, 47 and 53 (measures A2‑5 and A2-8). 38 - Annex 4 to the defence. 39 - See the list of possible measures in the Draft European Action Plan for the conservation of the Common hamster, cited in footnote 8, p. 24. 40 - See point 33 et seq. above. 41 - Council Directive 91/676/EEC of 12 December 1991 concerning the protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources (OJ 1991 L 375, p. 1). 42 - Balland, Définition et gestion du milieu particulier du grand hamster d’Alsace, 14 February 2008, IGE/08/001, p. 5 et seq. 43 - The Commission does not object to the mere isolation of habitats and populations as a result of measures relating to urbanisation, particularly infrastructure projects. Consequently it is unnecessary to decide here whether that form of interference would conflict with the protection of breeding sites and resting places. 44 - Defence, paragraph 62. 45 - Defence, paragraphs 63 and 152. 46 - Defence, paragraph 68 47 - See point 50 above. 48 - Annex 6 to the application, page 91.