Answer given by Mr Sinkevičius on behalf of the European Commission
16.7.2020
Article 4 of the Birds Directive[1] requires Member States to pay particular attention to the protection of wetlands and to avoid pollution or deterioration of habitats outside protected areas. There is also an obligation to avoid deterioration of the habitats of species in areas designated under the Birds and Habitats[2] Directives (Natura 2000 sites).
In addition, banning lead in gunshot is a commitment taken by the EU and 23 Member States as Contracting Parties to the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds. Therefore, the implementation of the regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH)[3] and of the Birds Directive should be mutually supportive.
The members of the Nature Directives Expert Group (NADEG), which include the EU Member States contact points for the implementation of the two directives, are thus clearly concerned by the ongoing procedure under REACH.
The aim of the non-paper distributed to NADEG members was to raise the experts’ awareness on the upcoming deliberations in the REACH Committee in order to facilitate coordinated and coherent decisions by national administrations. This non-paper was prepared by the NADEG secretariat but there was no discussion on it at the NADEG meeting.
The Commission has established comprehensive rules on the operation of its expert groups, whose role is to provide advice and expertise to the Commission. These rules are fully applied.
- [1] Directive 2009/147/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 November 2009 on the conservation of wild birds, OJ L 20, 26.1.2010, p. 7‐25.
- [2] Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora, OJ L 206, 22.7.1992, p. 7‐50.
- [3] Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), establishing a European Chemicals Agency, amending Directive 1999/45/EC and repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 793/93 and Commission Regulation (EC) No 1488/94 as well as Council Directive 76/769/EEC and Commission Directives 91/155/EEC, 93/67/EEC, 93/105/EC and 2000/21/EC, OJ L 396, 30.12.2006.