2013/23/EU: Commission Implementing Decision of 16 November 2012 adopting a sixth updated list of sites of Community importance for the Continental biogeographical region (notified under document C(2012) 8135)

• Published date: 26 January 2013
• Subject Matter: Environment
• Official Gazette Publication: Official Journal of the European Union, L 24, 26 January 2013

26.1.2013 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 24/58

---

COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION

of 16 November 2012

adopting a sixth updated list of sites of Community importance for the Continental biogeographical region

(notified under document C(2012) 8135)

(2013/23/EU)

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

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), and in particular the third subparagraph of Article 4(2) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) The Continental biogeographical region referred to in Article 1(c)(iii) of Directive 92/43/EEC comprises the Union territory of Luxembourg and parts of the Union territories of Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, Austria, Poland, Romania, Slovenia and Sweden as specified in the biogeographical map approved on 20 April 2005 by the Committee set up by Article 20 of that Directive, hereinafter the ‘Habitats Committee’.

(2) It is necessary in the context of a process which was initiated in 1995 to make further progress in the actual establishment of the Natura 2000 network, which is an essential element of the protection of biodiversity in the Union.

(3) The initial list and the first five updated lists of sites of Community importance for the Continental biogeographical region, within the meaning of Directive 92/43/EEC, were adopted by Commission Decisions 2004/798/EC (2), 2008/25/EC (3), 2009/93/EC (4), 2010/44/EU (5), 2011/64/EU (6) and Implementing Decision 2012/14/EU (7). On the basis of Articles 4(4) and 6(1) of Directive 92/43/EEC, the Member State concerned has to designate the sites included in the list of sites of Community importance for the Continental biogeographical region as special areas of conservation as soon as possible and within six years at most, establishing conservation priorities and the necessary conservation measures.

(4) In the context of a dynamic adaptation of the Natura 2000 network, the lists of sites of Community importance are reviewed. An update of the list of sites of Community importance for the Continental biogeographical region is therefore necessary.

(5) On the one hand, the update of the list of sites of Community importance for the Continental biogeographical region is necessary in order to include additional sites that have been proposed since 2010 by Member States as sites of Community importance for the Continental biogeographical region within the meaning of Article 1 of Directive 92/43/EEC. For these additional sites, the obligations resulting from Articles 4(4) and 6(1) of Directive 92/43/EEC should apply as soon as possible and within six years at most from the adoption of this Decision.

(6) On the other hand, the update of the list of sites of Community importance for the Continental biogeographical region is necessary in order to reflect any changes in site-related information submitted by Member States following the adoption of the initial and the first five updated Union lists. In that sense, this updated list of sites of Community importance for the Continental biogeographical region constitutes a consolidated version of the list of sites of Community importance for the Continental biogeographical region. It should be stressed that, for any site included in this Decision, the obligations resulting from Articles 4(4) and 6(1) of Directive 92/43/EEC should apply as soon as possible and within six years at most from the adoption of the list of sites of Community importance in which the site was included for the first time.

(7) For the Continental biogeographical region, lists of sites proposed as sites of Community importance within the meaning of Article 1 of Directive 92/43/EEC were transmitted to the Commission between November 2003 and October 2011 by the Member States concerned in accordance with Article 4(1) of that Directive.

(8) The lists of proposed sites were accompanied by information on each site, supplied in the format established by Commission Decision 97/266/EC of 18 December 1996 concerning a site information format for proposed Natura 2000 sites (8).

(9) That information includes the map of the site transmitted by the Member States concerned, name, location and extent of the site, and the data yielded by application of the criteria specified in Annex III to Directive 92/43/EEC.

(10) 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, an updated list of sites selected as sites of Community importance for the Continental biogeographical region should be adopted.

(11) Knowledge of the existence and distribution of the natural habitat types and species is constantly evolving as a result of the surveillance undertaken in accordance with Article 11 of Directive 92/43/EEC. Therefore, the evaluation and selection of sites at Union level was done using the best available information at present.

(12) Certain Member States have not proposed sufficient sites to meet the requirements of Directive 92/43/EEC for certain habitat types and species. For those habitat types and species it can therefore not be concluded that the Natura 2000 network is complete. Taking into account the delay in receiving the information and reaching agreement with the Member States, it is necessary to adopt an updated list of sites, which will need to be reviewed in accordance with Article 4 of Directive 92/43/EEC.

(13) Given that knowledge on the existence and distribution of some of the natural habitat types of Annex I and species of Annex II to Directive 92/43/EEC remains incomplete, it should not be concluded that the Natura 2000 network is either complete or incomplete. The list should be reviewed, if necessary, in accordance with Article 4 of Directive 92/43/EEC.

(14) In the interests of clarity and transparency, Implementing Decision 2012/14/EU should be repealed.

(15) The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Habitats Committee,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

The sixth updated list of sites of Community importance for the Continental biogeographical region in accordance with the third subparagraph of Article 4(2) of Directive 92/43/EEC is set out in the Annex to this Decision.

Article 2

Implementing Decision 2012/14/EU is repealed.

Article 3

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

Done at Brussels, 16 November 2012.

For the Commission

Janez POTOČNIK

Member of the Commission

---

(1) OJ L 206, 22.7.1992, p. 7.

(2) OJ L 382, 28.12.2004, p. 1.

(3) OJ L 12, 15.1.2008, p. 383.

(4) OJ L 43, 13.2.2009, p. 63.

(5) OJ L 30, 2.2.2010, p. 120.

(6) OJ L 33, 8.2.2011, p. 146.

(7) OJ L 11, 13.1.2012, p. 105.

(8) OJ L 107, 24.4.1997, p. 1.

---

ANNEX

Sixth updated list of sites of Community importance for the Continental biogeographical region

Each site of Community importance (SCI) is identified by the information supplied in the Natura 2000 format, including the corresponding map. This information has been transmitted by the competent national authorities in accordance with the second subparagraph of Article 4(1) of Directive 92/43/EEC.

The table below gives the following information:

A	:	SCI code comprising nine characters, the first two being the ISO code for the Member State;
B	:	name of SCI;
C	:	*= presence on the SCI of at least one priority natural habitat type and/or species within the meaning of Article 1 of Directive 92/43/EEC;
D	:	area of SCI in hectares or length of SCI in km;
E	:	geographical coordinates of SCI (latitude and longitude) in decimal degrees.

All the information given in the Union list below is based on the data proposed, transmitted and validated by Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Austria, Poland, Romania, Slovenia and Sweden.

A	B	C	D		E
SCI code	Name of SCI	*	Area of SCI (ha)	Length of SCI (km)	Geographical coordinates of SCI
					Longitude	Latitude
AT1101112	Haidel bei Nickelsdorf	*	12,1		17,0508	47,9556
AT1102112	Zurndorfer Eichenwald und Hutweide	*	153,4		17,0039	47,9600
AT1103112	Parndorfer Heide	*	7,38		16,8694	47,9969
AT1104212	Frauenwiesen und Johannesbach	*	47,88		16,5158	47,9331
AT1106218	Siegendorfer Pußta und Heide	*	27,86		16,5833	47,7806
AT1108813	Landschaftsschutzgebiet Bernstein — Lockenhaus — Rechnitz	*	24 623,44		16,3556	47,3792
AT1110137	Neusiedler See — Seewinkel	*	50 980,04		16,7667	47,7667
AT1114813	Südburgenländisches Hügel- und Terrassenland	*	13 998,49		16,4206	47,0678
AT1115415	Naturwaldreservat Lange Leitn, Neckenmarkt		28,95		16,5294	47,6392
AT1122916	Lafnitztal	*	590,57		16,1053	47,0664
AT1123323	Mattersburger Hügelland	*	3 061,21		16,4000	47,7167
AT1124823	Nordöstliches Leithagebirge	*	6 358,88		16,7333	47,9667
AT1201A00	Waldviertler Teich-, Heide- und Moorlandschaft	*	13 722,12		15,1389	48,7986
AT1202000	March-Thaya-Auen	*	8 879,95		16,9458	48,5417
AT1204000	Donau-Auen östlich von Wien	*	9 516,26		16,7667	48,1306
AT1205A00	Wachau	*	18 063,42		15,4069	48,3583
AT1206A00	Weinviertler Klippenzone	*	3 144,97		16,3861	48,5722
AT1207A00	Kamp- und Kremstal	*	14 495,27		15,6750	48,5306
AT1208A00

...