Today Greenpeace Nordic filed a criminal complaint to the European Commission against the Swedish Government for breaching the EU Habitats Directive, and specifically for the failure to properly implement the rules which restrict fisheries in the designated Natura 2000 areas.
The specific Natura 2000 areas referred to in the complaint file are Fladen and Lilla Middlegrund in the Kattegat, Sweden.
According to Greenpeace Nordic, the failure to regulate harmful activities at sea, since 2004, makes the Swedish Government guilty of violating the EU Habitats Directive (EUHD)—Article 6, Paragraphs 6(2) and 6(3).
In 2010 a legal deadline has passed to implement the final parts of the special protection areas (SPAs) clause within the EUHD, which include enacting appropriate conservation measures or drawing up of appropriate management plans for the selected areas— all contained in Article 6, Paragraph 6(1) of the Directive. To date this has not been implemented by the Swedish Government.
The file of complaint will be delivered to Pierre Schellekens, the Head of the European Commission office in Sweden.
See the link below for more information.