2002/11/EC: Commission Decision of 28 December 2001 adopting the list of sites of Community importance for the Macaronesian biogeographical region, pursuant to Council Directive 92/43/EEC (notified under document number C(2001) 3998)

Commission Decision
of 28 December 2001
adopting the list of sites of Community importance for the Macaronesian biogeographical region, pursuant to Council Directive 92/43/EEC
(notified under document number C(2001) 3998)
(2002/11/EC)
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora(1), as last amended by Directive 97/62/EC(2), and in particular the third subparagraph of Article 4(2) thereof,
Whereas:
(1) Lists of sites proposed as sites of Community importance within the meaning of Article 1 of Directive 92/43/EEC have been transmitted to the Commission for the Macaronesian biogeographical region, in accordance with Article 4(1) of that Directive. The Member States concerned, namely Portugal and Spain, transmitted the lists on 28 November 1997 and 11 October 2000 respectively.
(2) The Macaronesian biogeographical region, as referred to in Article 1(c)(iii) of Directive 92/43/EEC, comprises the archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira (Portugal) and of the Canary Islands (Spain) in the Atlantic Ocean.
(3) The lists of proposed sites were accompanied by information on each site, supplied in the Natura 2000 format established by Commission Decision 97/266/EC(3).
(4) This information includes the most recent map of the site transmitted by the Member State in question, the site's name, location and extent, and the data yielded by application of the criteria specified in Annex III (Stage 1) to Directive 92/43/EEC.
(5) On the basis of the draft list drawn up by the Commission in agreement with each of the Member States concerned, which also identifies sites hosting priority natural habitat types or priority species, a list of sites selected as sites of Community importance should be adopted.
(6) Given that knowledge of the existence and distribution of the natural habitat type described as "Reefs" remains incomplete, the list should be open to alteration in the light of further developments in such knowledge.
(7) The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the committee set up by Article 20 of Directive 92/43/EEC,