La Corte di Giustizia si pronuncia sulla gestione forestale slovacca: nuovi chiarimenti sulle misure di conservazione e sulla valutazione d’incidenza all’interno delle ZPS

The decision here analysed concerns a case of excessive deforestation by Slovakia within certain SPAs designated for the conservation of the capercaillie habitat. The Commission’s complaints – which center on the violation of the Habitats and Birds Directives, especially their provisions dealing with Member States’ obligations to adopt conservation measures and to subject certain plans and projects to impact assessment – allow to examine these norms in the light of the European institution’ most recent clarifications, and then to focus on the specific aspects of the decision to grasp the Euro- pean Court’s rigorous approach in interpreting the rules set out to protect biodiversity. In this context, faced with the tendency of some Member States to put the socio-eco- nomic interests before those related to the conservation of ecosystems, the Court of Justice becomes a key player in the protection of biodiversity, representing an important guardian of European rules and a significant barrier to national excesses.