Judgment_paragraph 61 · A and Others v Gewestelijke stedenbouwkundige ambtenaar van het departement Ruimte Vlaanderen, afdeling Oost-Vlaanderen (C-24/19)

61It is also necessary to observe that the general nature of the Order and the Circular of 2006 do not preclude those instruments from being classified as ‘plans and programmes’ within the meaning of Article 2(a) of Directive 2001/42. While it is clear from the wording of that provision that the concept of ‘plans and programmes’ can cover normative instruments that are legislative, regulatory or administrative, that directive does not contain any special provisions in relation to policies or general legislation that would call for them to be distinguished from plans and programmes for the purpose of that directive. The fact that a national measure is to some extent abstract and pursues an objective of transforming an existing geographical zone is illustrative of its planning and programming aspect and does not prevent it from being included in the concept of ‘plans and programmes’ (see, to that effect, judgment of 7 June 2018, Inter-Environnement Bruxelles and Others, C‑671/16, EU:C:2018:403, paragraph 60 and the case-law cited).