Article 12 and 17 reports
Following EU exit, reporting obligations under the Habitats and Birds Directives have been retained in UK law in the Habitats Regulations (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland) and Offshore Regulations. Under the updated legislation, separate reports must be produced covering England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and UK offshore areas every six years. For more information, please visit the JNCC Habitats Regulations Reporting webpage.
Prior to EU Exit, JNCC co-ordinated the production of periodic reports to be submitted to the European Commission to show progress towards meeting the objectives of the Birds Directive and Habitats Directive for EU member states.
Habitats Directive Reporting
Reporting obligations under the Habitats Directive for EU member states are set out in Article 17. Every six years each Member State must report on measures taken and their outcome in terms of the conservation status of species and habitats listed on the Directive’s Annexes.
By October 2019, Member States had completed four reporting rounds for the Habitats Directive, covering the periods 1994–2000, 2001–2006, 2007–2012, and 2013–2018.
The UK's Fourth Article 17 Report was submitted to the EU in August 2019. Details of the previous reports are available in The National Archives (2019 Article 17, older).
Birds Directive Reporting
Reporting obligations under the Birds Directive for EU member states are set out in Article 12. Every six years, each Member State must report on the implementation of the Directive.
Initially, Birds Directive Reports were required every three years. The UK completed nine reporting rounds under this reporting cycle, covering the period between 1983 and 2007. However, the reporting cycles of the two Nature Directives were not synchronised, making it difficult to analyse the results of both Directives' reports simultaneously and to get a broader overview of implementation. In 2011, Member States and the Commission agreed that the Article 12 Report on the Birds Directive should become more similar, in terms of format and timing, to the Article 17 Report on the Habitats Directive.
The 10th Article 12 report (2008–2012) was the first following the new format and six-year reporting cycle and allowed for the simultaneous analysis of the results of both Directives’ reports at both national and EU levels.
The UK's 11th Article 12 Report was submitted to the EU in October 2019. Details of the previous reports are available in The National Archives (2019 Article 12, older).
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