EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 55/11

(Case C-560/08)

(2009/C 55/18)

Language of the case: Spanish

Parties

Applicant: Commission of the European Communities (represented by: S. Pardo Quintillán, D. Recchia and J.-B. Laignelot, acting as Agents)

Defendant: Kingdom of Spain

Form of order sought

—declare that the Kingdom of Spain has failed to fulfil its obligations,

—in accordance with Article 2(1), Article 3(1) and (2) as the case may be, Article 4 and Article 5 of Council Directive 85/337/EEC (1) of 27 June 1985 on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment in relation to separate projects for widening and/or upgrading the M-501 road corresponding to sections 1, 2 and 4; in accordance with Article 6(2) and Article 8 of Council Directive 85/337/EEC in relation to separate projects for widening and/or upgrading the M-501 road corresponding to sections 2 and 4; and in accordance with Article 9 of Directive 85/337/EEC in relation to separate projects for widening and/or upgrading the M-501 road corresponding to sections 1, 2 and 4;

—in accordance with Article 6(3) and (4) of Council Directive 92/43/EEC (2) of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora, read in conjunction with Article 7 thereof, with respect to the separate projects for widening and/or upgrading the M-501 road corresponding to sections 1, 2 and 4 of the special protection area for birds ES 0000056 ‘Encinares del río Alberche y río Cofio’;

—in accordance with Directive 92/43/EEC, interpreted by the judgments of the Court of Justice of 13 January 2005 in Case C-117/03 and 14 September 2006 in Case C-244/05, and the obligations resulting from Article 12(1)(b) and (d) of the directive, with respect to separate projects for widening and/or upgrading the M-501 road corresponding to section 1 as regards the site proposed as a site of Community importance ES 3110005 ‘Cuenca del río Guadarrama’, and sections 2 and 4 regarding the proposed site of Community interest ES 3110007 ‘Cuenca de los ríos Alberche y Cofio’;

—order the Kingdom of Spain to pay the costs.

Pleas in law and main arguments

The action brought by the Commission relates to the projects approved or, as the case may be, implemented by the Spanish authorities with respect to the widening and/or upgrading of the local M-501 road (Community of Madrid). The Commission takes the view that the Kingdom of Spain has failed, with respect to those projects, to fulfil its obligations under Directive 85/337, in its original or amended version, and Directive 92/43, as interpreted by the judgments of the Court of Justice of 13 January 2005 in Case C-117/03 and of 14 September 2006 in Case C-244/05.

(1) OJ 1985 L 175, p. 40.

(2) OJ 1992 L 206, p. 7.