The Commission decided to refer Bulgaria, Ireland, Greece, Italy, Latvia, and Portugal to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failing to implement various provisions of Regulation 1143/2014 on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of invasive alien species (IAS Regulation).
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Invasive alien species are plants and animals which are accidentally or deliberately introduced to an area where they are not normally found.
The Commission sent letters of formal notice to 18 Member States in June 2021 (Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Germany, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia), followed by reasoned opinions to 15 of these (Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Ireland, Greece, France, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia) in February 2022.
Since then, eleven Member States have complied with their obligations and one of them will adopt the missing steps promptly.
However, despite some progress, the remaining six Member States (Bulgaria, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia and Portugal) have not fully addressed the grievances.
The Commission considers that efforts by the authorities of these six Member States have to date been unsatisfactory and insufficient and is therefore referring them to the Court of Justice of the European Union.
There are at least 12 000 alien species in the European environment, of which 10–15 % are invasive.
Invasive alien species can cause the local extinction of indigenous species, for instance through competition for limited resources such as food and habitats, inter-breeding or the spread of disease.
They can alter the functioning of entire ecosystems, compromising their ability to provide valuable services, such as pollination, water regulation or flood control.
The Asian hornet, for example, introduced by accident into Europe in 2005, preys on native honeybees, reduces local native insect biodiversity and impacts pollination services in general.
Invasive alien species often have significant economic impacts, reducing yields from agriculture, forestry and fisheries.
For example, the American comb jelly which was introduced accidentally into the Black Sea was responsible for a sharp decrease in no less than 26 commercial Black Sea fish stocks, including anchovy and chub mackerel.
Invasive species can damage infrastructure, obstruct transportation or decrease water availability by blocking waterways or clogging industrial water pipes.
Invasive alien species can also be a major problem for human health, triggering serious allergies and skin problems (e.g. burns caused by the giant hogweed) and acting as vectors for dangerous pathogens and diseases (e.g. transmission of disease to animals and humans by raccoons).
In this context, preventive action, which is the subject of the decisions to refer to the Court, is an essential investment since it is much more effective and costs less to prevent the introduction of invasive species than to address and mitigate the damage once they are widespread. ■