this study verifies that “there is no evidence that any significant

President of the Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker
First Vice-President, Frans Timmermans
Commissioner for Environment, Karmenu Vella
Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat 200
1049 Brussels
BELGIUM
Submitted by e-mail to: [email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Vienna, 27 June 2016
Re: Stagnation in the Fitness Check Process of Birds and Habitats Directives – outstanding issues
Dear President of the Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker,
Dear First Vice-President, Frans Timmermans,
Dear Commissioner, Karmenu Vella!
Austrian environmental NGOs are strongly alarmed about the recent developments in the Fitness Check Process of the
Birds and Habitats Directives. It is largely unclear why the European Commission decided to further delay the
publication of its long announced working document on the above mentioned topic. No comprehensible reasons were
mentioned to explain the procrastination, since it is not credible that it is the “refugee crisis” as explained by a
Commission spokesperson.
On the contrary, the fitness of both directives has been proven under all five evaluation criteria in the “Evaluation Study
to support the Fitness Check of the Birds and Habitats Directives – Draft Final Report” from January 4th 2016. In total
this study verifies that “there is no evidence that any significant problems derive from the objectives of the Directives or
their associated legislative provisions”.
Furthermore, it is undeniable that more than half a million European citizens stood up for nature in 2015, during the
most successful public consultation of the European Commission so far. Also, the European Parliament voted with
overwhelming majority (592/751 votes) for maintaining both directives as they are. On top of that, 15 European
member states stated clearly their opinion on keeping the Birds and Habitats Directives in their current states and to
improve financing and implementation.
Given the above mentioned vocal support and commitment to our European Nature Directives, it is incomprehensible
why the European Commission further delays a clear message on that topic.
Representatives of the Austrian environmental NGOs were registered to participate in the “conference on future-proof
nature policy” in Amsterdam and were looking forward to making an important contribution to the next phase of the
process: ideas for better implementation from a national point of view.
Due to these latest developments including the cancellation of the conference, we urge you to resume the process
around the Commission staff working document as soon as possible and instantly provide the interested public with an
alternative date for the Amsterdam conference or an alternative format.
Of course we would also be interested in the reasons for the delay in publishing the document, having in mind the huge
interest of a broad European public in maintaining our standards of nature conservation in Europe.
Considering the proven fitness of the Birds and Habitats Directives, the clear vote in the European Parliament, the
statements from member states all over Europe and the voice of half a million citizens, we urgently call on the European
Commission for a commitment to better implementation and a better financing system for the EU Nature Directives.
We are looking forward to your esteemed reply.
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Yours sincerely,
Michael Proschek-Hauptmann
CEO
Umweltdachverband
Gerald Pfiffinger
CEO
BirdLife Austria
Beate Striebel-Greiter
Deputy CEO
WWF Austria
Gerhard Heiligenbrunner
President
Kuratorium Wald
Julika Dittrich
Deputy Director
EU-Umweltbüro
Thedora Höger
President
Austrian Biologist Association
Birgit Mair-Markart
CEO
Naturschutzbund
Susanne Plank
CEO
Naturschutzbund Jugend
Rudolf Pavuza
Environmental Consultant
Verband Österreichischer
Höhlenforscher
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Regina Hrbek
Head of Department
Nature Conservation &
Environmental Protection
Lothar Petter
CEO
Österreichischer
Alpenschutzverband
Thomas Knoll
CEO
Österreichische Gesellschaft für
Landschaftsplanung und
Landschaftsarchitektur
Andrea Lichtenecker
CEO
Naturefriends International
Barbara Huterer
Chairwoman
SOL – Menschen für Solidarität,
Ökologie und Lebensstil
Liliana Dagostin
Head of Department
Regional Planning & Nature
Conservation
Alpenverein Österreich
Christian Boigenzahn
CEO
Biene Österreich
Reinhold Christian
CEO
Umwelt Management Austria
Reinhold Christian
President
Forum Wissenschaft & Umwelt
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