Belgium, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) The EC has referred six EU member states to the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) over violation of biodiversity rules.
In a statement released on Thursday, the EC pointed out that Bulgaria, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia and Portugal failed to implement EU rules aimed at protecting biodiversity in the bloc.
The body stressed that the six EU member states in question failed to manage and prevent introduction of invasive species, which jeopardises biodiversity.
Invasive species are deliberately or accidentally introduced to ecosystems where they do not belong, with the EC pointing out that invasive species are one of the main threats to biodiversity in the bloc.
EU member states have to stop loss of biodiversity under the EU Green Deal and the bloc’s biodiversity strategy for the period up to 2030.
Lack of action
The EC noted that the six bloc members did not “establish, implement and communicate to the Commission an action plan (or a set of action plans) to address the most important pathways of introduction and spread of these invasive alien species.”
The body added that Bulgaria and Greece did not establish relevant surveillance systems even though the deadline expired in January 2018, adding that “Greece does not have the structures in place to carry out the official controls necessary to prevent the intentional introduction of invasive alien species.”
According to the EC, “efforts by the authorities of these six member states have to date been unsatisfactory and insufficient,” which is why the Commission decided to refer them to the CJEU.
