Case C-521/12: Judgment of the Court (Second Chamber) of 15 May 2014 (request for a preliminary ruling from the Raad van State (Netherlands)) — T.C. Briels and Others v Minister van Infrastructuur en Milieu (Environment — Directive 92/43/EEC — Article 6(3) and (4) — Conservation of natural habitats — Special areas of conservation — Assessment of the implications for a protected site of a plan or project — Authorisation for a plan or project on a protected site — Compensatory measures — Natura 2000 site Vlijmens Ven, Moerputten & Bossche Broek — Project on the route of the A2 ‘s-Hertogenbosch-Eindhoven motorway)
Date: 2014-05-15
Institutions: Court of Justice
Subjects: environmental impact, habitat, impact study, motorway, project evaluation, protected area, protection of animal life, protection of plant life








C_2014212EN.01000701.xml










7.7.2014   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 212/7





Judgment of the Court (Second Chamber) of 15 May 2014 (request for a preliminary ruling from the Raad van State (Netherlands)) — T.C. Briels and Others v Minister van Infrastructuur en Milieu
(Case C-521/12) (1)

((Environment - Directive 92/43/EEC - Article 6(3) and (4) - Conservation of natural habitats - Special areas of conservation - Assessment of the implications for a protected site of a plan or project - Authorisation for a plan or project on a protected site - Compensatory measures - Natura 2000 site Vlijmens Ven, Moerputten & Bossche Broek - Project on the route of the A2 ‘s-Hertogenbosch-Eindhoven motorway))
2014/C 212/07
Language of the case: Dutch

Referring court

Raad van State

Parties to the main proceedings


Applicants: T.C. Briels, M. Briels-Loermans, R.L.P. Buchholtz, Stichting A2-Platform Boxtel e.o. and Others, H.W.G. Cox, G.P.A. Damman, P.A.M. Goevaers and Others, J.H. van Haaren, L.S.P. Dijkman, R.A.H.M. Janssen, M.M. van Lanschot, J.E.A.M. Lelijveld and Others, A. Mes and Others, A.J.J. Michels, VOF Isphording and Others, M. Peijnenborg, S. Peijnenborg-van Oers, G. Oude Elferink, W. Punte, P.M. Punte-Cammaert, Stichting Reinier van Arkel, E. de Ridder, W.C.M.A.J.G. van Rijckevorsel, M. van Rijckevorsel-van Asch van Wijck, Vereniging tot Behoud van het Groene Hart van Brabant, Stichting Boom en Bosch, Stichting Overlast A2 Vught e.o., Streekraad Het Groene Woud en De Meijerij, A.C.M.W. Teulings, Stichting Bleijendijk, M. Tilman, Vereniging van Eigenaars Appartementengebouw De Heun I and Others, M.C.T. Veroude, E.J.A.M. Widlak, Van Roosmalen Sales BV and Others, M.A.A. van Kessel, Bricorama BV and Others

Defendant: Minister van Infrastructuur en Milieu

Re:

Request for a preliminary ruling — Raad van State — Interpretation of Article 6(3) and (4) of Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (OJ 1992 L 206, p. 7) — Authorisation of a plan or project on a protected site — Conditions — ‘Concept of adverse effect on the integrity of the site concerned’

Operative part of the judgment

Article 6(3) of Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora must be interpreted as meaning that a plan or project not directly connected with or necessary to the management of a site of Community importance, which has negative implications for a type of natural habitat present thereon and which provides for the creation of an area of equal or greater size of the same natural habitat type within the same site, has an effect on the integrity of that site. Such measures can be categorised as ‘compensatory measures’ within the meaning of Article 6(4) only if the conditions laid down therein are satisfied.


(1)  OJ C 55, 23.2.2013.