191Accordingly, knowledge of the implications of a plan or project, in the light of the conservation objectives relating to the site in question, is a necessary prerequisite for the application of Article 6(4) of the Habitats Directive, since, in the absence thereof, no condition for the application of that derogating provision can be assessed. The assessment of any imperative reasons of overriding public interest and that of the existence of less harmful alternatives require a weighing up against the damage caused to the site by the plan or project under consideration. In addition, in order to determine the nature of any compensatory measures, the damage to the site concerned must be precisely identified (see, inter alia, judgments of 24 November 2011, Commission v Spain, C‑404/09, EU:C:2011:768, paragraph 109, and of 14 January 2016, Grüne Liga Sachsen and Others, C‑399/14, EU:C:2016:10, paragraph 57).
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