The Commission files Spain and France for not protecting the turtledove | Society

The European Commission opened this Thursday an infringement procedure against Spain and France for not adequately protecting the turtledoves. Brussels has asked both countries to "strengthen the protection of European turtledove (Streptopelia turtur), as required by EU legislation on the protection of wild birds ".

This animal became a very common bird in the agricultural habitats of Europe, but "it is now threatened, which illustrates how the pressures of agriculture and hunting contribute to the loss of biodiversity," the Commission said in a statement. The European turtle dove appears as a vulnerable species both in the world red list and in the European red list.

Therefore, according to European directives, Member States have to ensure that "it has a sufficient area of ​​habitats, that these habitats are protected with adequate legal guarantees and managed in accordance with the ecological imperatives of the species, and why hunting only takes place when it is sustainable. " Spain, the Commission explained, is home to more than half of the EU's breeding population. France, 10%.

Between 1996 and 2016, the population decreased in Spain by 40% and 44% in France. "Since neither France nor Spain have taken the necessary measures to improve their protection, the Commission sends them two letters of formal notice," Brussels said. Thus, a sanctioning process is initiated that may end before the Court of Justice of the European Union, as has already happened with other environmental cases.