Judgment_paragraph 54 · European Commission v Ireland (C-444/21)

54The latter obligation on Member States to adopt the necessary conservation measures in order to protect special areas of conservation, which is laid down in Article 6 of the Habitats Directive, is distinct from the formal obligation on Member States, laid down in Article 4(4) thereof, to designate sites of Community importance as special areas of conservation, in accordance with the case-law cited in paragraph 45 of the present judgment.