United Kingdom in breach of habitats Directive

The European Court of Justice has held that the UK has failed to transpose adequately a number of important provisions of the 1992 habitats Directive. The decision in Commission v United Kingdom (European Court of Justice Case C-6/04 20 October 2005) is not entirely unexpected following the publication of the Advocate General's Opinion last June, but will require a considerable tightening in national law of the legal obligations under the Directive.