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COMMISSION NOTICE 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 · European Union

Timing the compensatory measures calls for a case-by-case approach. The schedule adopted must provide continuity in the ecological processes essential for maintaining the structure and functions that contribute to the overall coherence of the Natura 2000 network. This requires tight coordination between the implementation of the plan or project and the implementation of the compensatory measures. It also depends on issues such as the time required for habitats to develop and/or for species populations to recover or establish in a given area. In addition, other factors and processes must also be considered. — A site must not be irreversibly affected before compensation is in place. — The result of compensation should be operational at the time the damage occurs on the site concerned. Under certain circumstances where this cannot be fully achieved, overcompensation would be required for the interim losses. — Time lags might only be admissible when it is ascertained that they would not compromise the objective of ‘no net losses’ to the overall coherence of the Natura 2000 network. — Time lags must not be permitted, for example, if they lead to population losses for any species protected on the site under Annex II to the Habitats Directive or Annex I to the Birds Directive; priority species listed in Annex II to the Habitats Directive merit special attention. — It may be possible to scale down in time compensatory measures, depending whether the significant negative effects are expected to arise in the short, medium or long term. Specific measures to outweigh interim losses that would occur until the conservation objectives are met may be advisable. All technical, legal or financial provisions needed to implement the compensatory measures must be completed before the plan or project implementation starts, so as to prevent any unforeseen delays that may hinder the effectiveness of the measures. See further details in the Article 6 Guide – section 5.5.6.

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Source: EUR-Lex (Cellar) · retrieved 2026-09-25 · Text as adopted (Official Journal); later amendments are not incorporated in this text.