In the European Union (EU), the Habitats Directive bans the killing of strictly protected animal species. The killing of individual animals may nevertheless be allowed when there is no satisfactory alternative and doing so would not be detrimental to the maintenance of species populations at favorable conservation status for one of five enumerated reasons. This exception has been used by national authorities to allow hunting, frequently triggering litigation. Here, we review several contested aspects of the provisions allowing exceptions from strict protection, particularly those in the controversial Article 16(1)(e), in order to clarify Member States' discretion in allowing hunting. Correctly interpreting these provisions is necessary to ensure species are protected at the level intended by the Habitats Directive, and that their conservation status is improved or maintained. Our review suggests that it would be very difficult for national authorities to allow the hunting of strictly protected species while complying with EU law.
Fishing operations likely to have a significant effect on a marine Natura 2000 area shall be subject to prior assessment and authorisation according to Article 6.3 of the Habitats Directive. This provision, partly also article 6.2, and in particular the cjeu case law, implies that this prior control should be applied rather often in practice, even for recurrent fishery irrespective of when the first fishing operation occurred in an area. Article 11 of the Common Fisheries Policy Regulation entails that Sweden and other Member States apply Article 6 of the Habitats Directive within the entire exclusive economic zone, to both own and foreign fishing vessels. A Member State is also, under certain preconditions, empowered to impose restrictions on fishery not supported by article 6 of the Habitats Directive, especially within the 12 nautical miles zone. A Member State is not formally hindered from excluding fishery from prior assessment and authorisation if instead general requirements on fishery in legislation can ensure that no future fishing operation is likely to have a significant effect on the Natura 2000 area. However, cjeu case law indicates that it would be difficult to fulfil that precondition.
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