Source: European Parliament
Forests are a natural ally in adapting to and fighting against climate change and will play a vital role in making Europe the first climate neutral continent by 2050.
To this end the EU Forest Strategy for 2030[1] calls for measures to increase their health and resilience. T he Nature Restoration Regulation[2] requires Member States to put in place measures to restore certain degraded forest habitats and to enhance biodiversity also in forest ecosystems beyond those habitats.
Concerning Natura 2000 sites, the Habitats Directive[3] requires Member States to implement conservation measures to achieve the sites’ conservation objectives and to take appropriate steps to avoid the deterioration of natural habitats and the habitats of species as well as significant disturbance of the species for which the sites have been designated.
In addition, plans and projects, including wind turbines, likely to have a significant effect, either individually or in combination with other plans or projects, must be subject to an appropriate assessment of their implications for the site in view of the site’s conservation objectives.
This assessment must include all stages of the project’s life cycle, including post-operation. The competent national authorities can agree to the plan or project only after having ascertained that it will not adversely affect the integrity of the site concerned, which may require decommissioning and restoration[4].
With regards to waste generated from wind turbines, currently there is no dedicated EU piece of legislation dealing with this waste stream.
However, Member States have to ensure that waste wind turbines are subject to waste management that fully complies with the provisions of the Waste Framework Directive[5].
- [1] https://environment.ec.europa.eu/strategy/forest-strategy_en
- [2] Articles 4 and 12 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1991 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 June 2024 on nature restoration and amending Regulation (EU) 2022/869, OJ L, 2024/1991, 29.7.2024.
- [3] Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora. OJ L 206, 22.7.1992, p. 7-50.
- [4] Further guidance is provided in: European Commission: Directorate-General for Environment, Guidance document on wind energy developments and EU nature legislation, Publications Office of the European Union, 2020, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2779/457035
- [5] Directive (EU) 2018/851 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2018 amending Directive 2008/98/EC on waste, OJ L 150, 14.6.2018, p. 109-140.