Request for a preliminary ruling from the Bundesverwaltungsgericht (Austria), lodged on 16 February 2024 – Umweltorganisation VIRUS – Verein Projektwerkstatt für Umwelt und Soziales and Others v Amt der Niederösterreichischen Landesregierung, Abteilung Landesstraßenplanung – ST3
(Case C-131/24, VIRUS and Others)
Language of the case: German
Referring court
Bundesverwaltungsgericht
Parties to the main proceedings
Complainants: Umweltorganisation VIRUS – Verein Projektwerkstatt für Umwelt und Soziales Bürgerinitiative ‘Nein zur Spange Wörth’, A.H. and Others, Umweltorganisation Verein Lebenswertes Traisental, Umweltorganisation FG LANIUS – Forschungsgemeinschaft für regionale Faunistik und angewandten Naturschutz
Defendant: Amt der Niederösterreichischen Landesregierung, Abteilung Landesstraßenplanung – ST3
Authority which adopted the contested decision: Amt der Niederösterreichischen Landesregierung, Gruppe Wirtschaft, Sport und Tourismus, Abteilung Anlagenrecht – WST1
Other parties to the proceedings: Autobahnen- und Schnellstraßen-Finanzierungs-Aktiengesellschaft (ASFINAG), Stadt St. Pölten, Marktgemeinde Ober-Grafendorf
Questions referred
Is Article 5 of Directive 2009/147/EC 1 (Birds Directive) to be interpreted as meaning that a case of deliberate disturbance, as referred to under point (d) of that article, is not constituted if, notwithstanding the fact that individual specimens of certain species could be disturbed, any effect on the objective of Article 2 of that directive will be prevented by means of measures effectively implemented in a timely and appropriate manner?
If the first question is answered in the affirmative, must all scientific doubt concerning the effectiveness of the measures be excluded, as evidenced by a well-reasoned, professional appraisal of a court-appointed expert, or must there be objective scientific literature of successful practical experiences of those measures?
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1 Directive 2009/147/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 November 2009 on the conservation of wild birds (OJ 2010 L 20, p. 7).