Judgment_paragraph 64 · European Commission v Ireland (C-444/21)

64With regard to the wording of Article 4(4) of the Habitats Directive, it should be pointed out that, although it does not explicitly mention the obligation to set conservation objectives, that provision nevertheless requires the competent authorities of the Member State concerned, when designating the special area of conservation, to establish priorities in the light of the importance of the sites for the maintenance or restoration, at a favourable conservation status, of a habitat type. Establishing those priorities implies that those conservation objectives have already been set (judgment of 17 December 2020, Commission v Greece, C‑849/19, EU:C:2020:1047, paragraph 46).