WRITTEN QUESTION P-1915/99

by Chris Davies (ELDR) to the Commission

(14 October 1999)

Subject: Establishment of Natura 2000

1. What is now the target date for the adoption of the list of sites of Community importance?

2. How does the Commission intend to ensure that an accurate assessment is made of proposals for sites submitted by Member States?

3. How many staff are employed at the Europe Topic Centre for Nature Conservation, and in what capacity?

4. What steps are taken to ensure that their information sources used by the Topic Centre to determine the distribution of habitats and species in each Member State are both sufficiently comprehensive and up-to-date to enable proper evaluation of Member States' proposals?

5. Is the Commission confident that the resources available to the Topic Centre are sufficient to enable it to complete the tasks required of it to the highest standards?

6. Will the new Environment Commissioner undertake an evaluation of the Topic Centre to determine whether it is able to complete the work required in the time available?

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(11 November 1999)

1. The Commission intends to adopt the lists of sites of Community importance for each of the six biogeographical regions as soon as possible.

However, the Member States have been late sometimes considerably so in communicating their national lists of proposed sites, thus obliging the Commission to initiate legal proceedings against them.

The likely timetable for each biogeographical region is therefore as follows:

- during 2000: Macaronesian region

- late 2000: Alpine region

- 2001: Atlantic, Boreal and Mediterranean regions

- 2002: Continental region.

2. The Commission intends to hold scientific seminars for each of the biogeographical regions, in conjunction with the European Topic Centre for Nature Conservation.

The procedure for these seminars and the lists of participants were adopted in consultation with the Member States. The aim is to assess the national lists of sites on the basis of the best scientific information available.

The Commission therefore relies on the scientific expertise available, but it should be noted that Council Directives 79/0409/EEC of 2 April 1979 on the conservation of wild birds(1) and 92/0043/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and wild fauna and flora(2) do not lay down definitive statistical criteria for taking a decision on each individual site.

3. The European Topic Centre for Nature Conservation is part of the European Environment Agency. The Commission is not involved in recruitment to or the allocation of tasks within the Topic Centre.

According to the Commission's information, three people are working on the assessment of scientific data for the Natura 2000 network within the Topic Centre's central team.

4. The European Environment Agency is responsible for collecting scientific data. for its part, the Commission sends the Topic Centre all the data in its possession: co-financed scientific studies, inventories carried out in the context of Life-Nature projects, information provided by non-governmental organisations (NGOs), etc., and urges the Member States to communicate all the data in their possession.

The Commission would point out that some Member States did not wish to communicate their national inventories of sites containing natural habitats or species of Community interest or did not indicate all the habitats or species that are in fact present in the sites proposed for Natura 2000.

5. On several occasions the Commission has impressed upon the Agency and the Topic Centre's Steering Committee the importance of scientific assessment for Natura 2000 and of strengthening the Topic Centre's central team accordingly.

6. The Agency's Management Board is responsible for evaluating the Topic Centre. The Commission, which, like Parliament, has two representatives on the Board, would willingly take part in an evaluation of the resources needed by the Nature Topic Centre.

(1) OJ L 103, 25.4.1979.

(2) OJ L 206, 22.7.1992.