EU Regulation 1143/2014 and the Bern Convention: Allied Forces in the War on Invasive Alien Species in Europe

Abstract

This article identifies and analyzes current and potential synergies between the new EU Regulation 1143/2014 on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of invasive alien species on the one hand, and the Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats on the other. Besides focusing on the role the Convention could play in facilitating the Regulation’s effective implementation generally, the article explores the scope for extending some of the actions provided for in the Regulation beyond the EU to Europe at large, using the framework of the Bern Convention. The article identifies and recommends several courses of action that may be taken in either regard. Cooperation on IAS appears to open a promising new chapter in the dynamic interplay that has characterized the relations between the Bern Convention and EU biodiversity law in the past.

Keywords: Invasive alien species, Bern Convention, EU law, biodiversity