Portugal has been fined €10m (£8.7m) by the EU court of justice for failing to comply with environmental laws requiring it to protect biodiversity. He has also been sentenced to pay 41,250 euros per day until he complies with a previous court order issued in 2019.
The court said it was imposing the maximum possible fine to “encourage” Portugal to end the infringement.
The daily fine corresponds to a fine of 750 euros for each of the 55 sites that, according to the court, “have not yet been protected” despite Lisbon being ordered seven years ago to comply with EU laws. The fine will be reduced by 750 euros per day for each site that complies with the standard.
The court said in a statement: “The court considers these to be particularly serious breaches of EU environmental law, in which Portugal has persisted.
“Given that the territory of Portugal is home to rich biodiversity, including 99 habitat types and 335 species covered by the Habitats Directive, what is at stake for the common heritage of the European Union there is especially important.
“In view of this, in addition to the considerable duration of the infringement and Portugal’s ability to pay, the court sets the amount of the lump sum at €10 million.”
The European Commission has fought for years to try to force Portugal to conserve and protect habitats and species in areas that should have been designated for conservation under the EU habitats directive.
Under EU legislation, sites of “community importance for the Atlantic biogeographic region” include Peneda-Gerês, Portugal’s only national park, the Litoral Norte natural park and the Miño and Lima rivers.
Also included are Valongo, home to rare species of fern and an important site for the golden-striped salamander, the Serra D’Arga mountain range and Corno do Bico, a protected landscape, records show.
The court ordered Lisbon to comply with the EU habitats directive in a case brought by the European Commission in 2019 after accusations that it had failed to designate sites of Community importance as special areas of conservation (SAC).
Under the directive, countries had to designate SAC sites in need of protection within six years, with complementary measures to protect habitats and rare species.
In 2019, the court found that Portugal had failed to meet its obligations to designate 61 areas under the Atlantic and Mediterranean biogeographical biodiversity classification.
A Portuguese government spokesperson said the litigation went back 30 years and spanned 12 governments, but that last April the government launched “an intense legislative process that allowed rapid progress in the designation of ZECs and the approval of management plans.”
“There is very little left to do to complete the work and for Portugal to fully comply with its obligations under the Habitats Directive.”
