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Management of Natura 2000 sites
Article 6 - Managing and protecting Natura 2000 sites
Article 6 is one of the most important articles in the Habitats Directive as it defines how Natura 2000 sites are managed and protected.
Paragraphs 6(1) and 6(2) require that, within Natura 2000, Member States:
- Take appropriate conservation measures to maintain and restore the habitats and species for which the site has been designated to a favourable conservation status;
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Avoid damaging activities that could significantly disturb these species or deteriorate the habitats of the protected species or habitat types.
Paragraphs 6(3) and 6(4) lay down the procedure to be followed when planning new developments that might affect a Natura 2000 site. Thus:
- Any plan or project likely to have a significant effect on a Natura 2000, either individually or in combination with other plans or projects, shall undergo an Appropriate Assessment to determine its implications for the site. The competent authorities can only agree to the plan or project after having ascertained that it will not adversely affect the integrity of the site concerned (Article 6.3)
- In exceptional circumstances, a plan or project may still be allowed to go ahead, in spite of a negative assessment, provided there are no alternative solutions and the plan or project is considered to be justified for imperative reasons of overriding public interest. In such cases the Member State must take appropriate compensatory measures to ensure that the overall coherence of the N2000 Network is protected. (Article 6.4)
Article 6 - General Commission Guidance
To help Member States implementation, the Commission developed the following documents related to article 6.1:
- Designation of Special Areas of Conservation (SACs)
- Setting conservation objectives for Natura 2000 sites
- Establishing conservation measures for Natura 2000 sites
- A review of the provisions of Article 6.1 and their practical implementation in different Member States
- ANNEX - Fact Sheets on Natura 2000 Management Planning in the Member States – Situation in 2011
To assist in the understanding and correct application of this Article 6 procedure, the Commission has produced a number of general interpretative and methodological guidance documents on specific provisions of the Article:
Guidance document: Managing Natura 2000 sites
Updated version November 2018
Assessment of plans and projects in relation to Natura 2000 sites
Methodological guidance on the provisions of Article 6 (3) and (4) of the Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC
Revised methodological guidance on Article 6(3) and (4) of the Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC
- Annex: examples of practices, case studies, methods and national guidance
- Guidance document on assessment of plans and projects in relation to Natura 2000 sites - a summary
- Form for submission of information to the European Commission
Court rulings related to Article 6
A compilation of the most important rulings of the European Court of Justice related to Article 6 of the Habitats Directive is available here.
Article 6(4) Commission Opinions
The second subparagraph of Article 6(4) provides for a special treatment whenever the plan or project concerns a site hosting priority habitats and/or species. The realisation of plans or projects likely to adversely affect these sites can be justified only if the evoked imperative reasons of overriding public interest concern human health and public safety or overriding beneficial consequences for the environment, or if, before granting approval to the plan or project, the Commission expresses an opinion on the initiative envisaged.
Links between the Nature Directives and other EU environmental legislation
- Frequently Asked Questions on the links between the Invasive Alien Species Regulation (IAS) and the EU Nature Directives
- Frequently Asked Questions on the links between the Nature Directives and the Nitrates Directive
- Frequently Asked Questions on links with the Water Framework Directive
- Frequently Asked Questions on links with the Marine Strategy Framework Directive
- Case studies on synergies between WFD, MSFD and Nature directives
- Starter Guide : Overview of the main provisions of the WFD, MSFD, the Birds and Habitats Directives, and the Floods Directive: similarities and differences
Article 6 - Sector Specific Guidance
The Commission is also in the process ofhas developed developing sector-specific guidance in the following several policy areas: non-energy extractive industries, wind farm development, ports and estuaries, inland waterway transport, aquaculture. The overall objective of these guidance documents is to establish a better understanding of how to apply the Article 6 procedure to developments plans and projects in each of these sectors and to provide further advice on how to carry out an Appropriate Assessment in particular.
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Wind energy developments and EU Nature Legislation
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Energy transmission facilities and EU nature legislation
Summary
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Hydropower and EU nature legislation
Summary
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Guidance document "Farming for Natura 2000"
Annexes A - D with A) Key habitat types of Community interest that are dependent on agricultural management, B) Key species of Community interest associated with farmland, C) Main habitats of Community interest dependent on agriculture in each Member State and D) Management recommendations for each Annex I habitat type dependent on agricultural management Annex E with case studies
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| Guidance on Aquaculture and Natura 2000 - Sustainable aquaculture activities in the context of the Natura 2000 Network
Summary
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| Inland waterway transport and Natura 2000 - sustainable inland waterway development and management in the context of the EU Birds and Habitats Directives
Summary
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The implementation of the Birds and Habitats Directives in estuaries and coastal zones Summary
Leaflet: For the policy context, see the Commission Staff Working Document: |
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Non-energy mineral extraction and Natura 2000 Summary
Leaflet: Good practice examples: 
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| Other Guidance | |
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Guidance document on Climate change and Natura 2000
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