REPORTS
Greece failed to fulfill obligations under the Invasive Alien Species Regulation: INFR(2021)2011
1. Each Member State of the European Union shall apply EU law and take appropriate action to that end. The European Commission is the body responsible for detecting possible breaches of EU law.
In the event that a Member State does not apply Union law and fails to fulfill any of the obligations laid down in the EU Treaties, the European Commission may initiate formal infringement proceedings under Articles 258 and 260 TFEU (details of infringement proceedings here).
2. Regulation (EU) No 1143/2014 concerns the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of invasive alien species. Invasive alien species are plants and animals that as a result of human intervention become established in areas outside their natural range, spreading rapidly and out-competing native species, with severe environmental and economic consequences. The European Green Deal and the European Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 both stress the importance for the EU to halt its biodiversity loss by preserving our natural sites and restoring damaged ecosystems to good ecological status.
However, as stated in the “June infringement package: key decisions/9-6-2021”, 18 Member States, including Greece, failed to establish, implement and communicate to the Commission an action plan (or a set of action plans) to address the most important pathways of unintentional introduction and spread of invasive alien species of concern for the EU. Additionally, Greece has failed to establish a surveillance system of invasive alien species of concern for the EU, or include it in their existing system. Greece also failed to put in place fully functioning structures to carry out the official controls necessary to prevent the intentional introduction of species of concern into the EU. The Commission has, therefore, decided to send a letter of formal notice, calling on Greece to to implement the provisions of Regulation 1143/2014 [infringement number: INFR(2021)2011]
The application of EU law is an obligation of the Member States of the European Union.
If possible breaches of EU law are detected, the European Commission may take a series of actions against that Member State to ensure the correct and full application of EU law by initiating infringement proceedings in accordance with Articles 258 and 260 of the TFEU.
In this case, the European Commission sent a letter of formal notice, calling on Greece to transpose and correctly apply the provisions of Regulation (EU) 1143/2014 on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of invasive alien species, as deficiencies and gaps in Greek law and practice were identified.
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