Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 February 2023
83. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 416 of 8 November 2022, if a timeframe is set out for member states to comply with the requirements of Article 6.1 of the Habitats Directive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7449/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraArticle 6(1) applies to Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), of which there are currently 441 in Ireland. In accordance with Article 4(4) of the Directive, SACs come into being when Member States designate them as such. This can happen only after a site has been adopted as a Site of Community Interest (SCI) in accordance with Article 4(2). An SCI must be designated as an SAC ‘as soon as possible and within six years at the most’ after being placed on the list of SCIs. Effectively, the designation of an SCI as an SAC can be regarded as triggering the implementation of Article 6(1). Article 6(1) also applies to SCIs for which the six-year period has expired and which have not yet been designated as SAC by a member State. Article 6(1) applies to all SACs in the Natura 2000 network, and to all natural habitat types in Annex I and species in Annex II present on those sites, except for those identified as non-significant in the Natura 2000 Standard Data Form. Article 6(1) concerns SACs specifically: it does not apply to Special Protection Areas (SPAs) or other forms of designated site.
