Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2019/15
of 14 December 2018
adopting the third update of the list of sites of Community importance for the Steppic biogeographical region
(notified under document C(2018) 8522)

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora, and in particular the third subparagraph of Article 4(2) thereof,
OJ L 206, 22.7.1992, p. 7.
Whereas:
(1) The Steppic biogeographical region referred to in Article 1(c)(iii) of Directive 92/43/EEC comprises parts of the Union territory of Romania, as specified in the biogeographical map approved on 20 April 2005 by the committee set up by Article 20 of that Directive (the ‘Habitats Committee’).
(2) The initial list of sites of Community importance for the Steppic biogeographical region, within the meaning of Directive 92/43/EEC, was adopted by Commission Decision 2008/966/EC. That list was last updated by Commission Implementing Decision 2013/736/EU.
Commission Decision 2008/966/EC of 12 December 2008 adopting, pursuant to Council Directive 92/43/EEC, an initial list of sites of Community importance for the Steppic biogeographical region (OJ L 344, 20.12.2008, p. 117).
Commission Implementing Decision 2013/736/EU of 7 November 2013 adopting a second updated list of sites of Community importance for the Steppic biogeographical region (OJ L 350, 21.12.2013, p. 36).
(3) The sites included in the list of sites of Community importance for the Steppic biogeographical region form part of the Natura 2000 network which is an essential element of the protection of biodiversity in the Union. In order to make further progress in the actual establishment of the Natura 2000 network and in the context of a dynamic adaptation of that network, the lists of sites of Community importance are reviewed regularly.
(4) Between 19 June 2017 and 2 March 2018 Romania has proposed additional sites of Community importance for the Steppic biogeographical region within the meaning of Article 1 of Directive 92/43/EEC. Romania also submitted changes in the site-related information contained in the list of sites of Community importance for the Steppic biogeographical region.
(5) On the basis of the draft list drawn up by the Commission in agreement with the Member State concerned, which also identifies sites hosting priority natural habitat types or priority species, an updated list of sites selected as sites of Community importance for the Steppic biogeograpical region should be adopted. Articles 4(4) and 6 of Directive 92/43/EEC apply to the newly included sites.
(6) Knowledge of the existence and distribution of the natural habitat types and species is constantly evolving as a result of the surveillance undertaken in accordance with Article 11 of Directive 92/43/EEC. Therefore, the evaluation and selection of sites at Union level was carried out using the best available information at the time.
(7) With regard to the Steppic biogeographical region, Romania has not proposed sufficient sites to meet the requirements of Directive 92/43/EEC for certain habitat types and species. Furthermore, knowledge of the existence and distribution of some of the natural habitat types listed in Annex I and some of the species listed in Annex II to Directive 92/43/EEC remains incomplete. For those habitat types and species, it can therefore not be concluded that the Natura 2000 network is complete.
(8) In the interests of clarity and transparency, Implementing Decision 2013/736/EU should be repealed.
(9) The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Habitats Committee,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1 The third update of the list of sites of Community importance for the Steppic biogeographical region as set out in the Annex is adopted.
Article 2 Implementing Decision 2013/736/EU is repealed.
Article 3 This Decision is addressed to the Member States.
Done at Brussels, 14 December 2018.
For the Commission
Karmenu Vella
Member of the Commission

ANNEX Third update of the list of sites of Community importance for the Steppic biogeographical region
Each site of Community importance (SCI) is identified by the information supplied in the Natura 2000 format, including the corresponding map. This information has been transmitted by the competent national authorities in accordance with the second subparagraph of Article 4(1) of Directive 92/43/EEC.
The table below gives the following information:

A
SCI code comprising nine characters, the first two being the ISO code for the Member State;

B
name of SCI;

C
* = presence on the SCI of at least one priority natural habitat type and/or species within the meaning of Article 1 of Directive 92/43/EEC;

D
area of SCI in hectares or length of SCI in km;

E
geographical coordinates of SCI (latitude and longitude) in decimal degrees.
All the information given in the Union list below is based on the data proposed, transmitted and validated by Romania.
A	B	C	D		E	
SCI code	Name of SCI	*	Area of SCI (ha)	Length of SCI (km)	Geographical coordinates of SCI	
					Longitude	Latitude
ROSCI0005	Balta Albă — Amara — Jirlău — Lacul Sărat Câineni	*	6 397,6		27,316536	45,289225
ROSCI0006	Balta Mică a Brăilei		20 665,5		27,906128	44,943669
ROSCI0012	Brațul Măcin	*	10 433,2		28,118842	44,867642
ROSCI0022	Canaralele Dunării	*	26 109,9		27,899211	44,246708
ROSCI0053	Dealul Alah Bair	*	193,5		28,218786	44,501053
ROSCI0060	Dealurile Agighiolului	*	1 514,1		28,83043	45,041464
ROSCI0065	Delta Dunării	*	453 645,5		29,198361	45,052417
ROSCI0067	Deniz Tepe	*	414,4		28,688092	45,003028
ROSCI0071	Dumbrăveni — Valea Urluia — Lacul Vederoasa	*	18 024,4		27,879294	44,147972
ROSCI0072	Dunele de nisip de la Hanul Conachi	*	249,2		27,578975	45,571839
ROSCI0083	Fântânița Murfatlar	*	577,5		28,386333	44,154403
ROSCI0103	Lunca Buzăului	*	9 575,4		27,001089	45,075905
ROSCI0105	Lunca Joasă a Prutului	*	5 753,4		28,179103	45,418505
ROSCI0114	Mlaștina Hergheliei — Obanul Mare și Peștera Movilei	*	231,7		28,583339	43,83785
ROSCI0123	Munții Măcinului	*	16 926,6		28,303483	45,155361
ROSCI0131	Oltenița — Mostiștea — Chiciu		11 521,2		26,813089	44,101503
ROSCI0133	Pădurea Bădeana	*	62,3		27,571833	46,156728
ROSCI0134	Pădurea Balta — Munteni		85,8		27,464731	45,948678
ROSCI0139	Pădurea Breana — Roșcani	*	155		27,994822	45,926528
ROSCI0149	Pădurea Eseschioi — Lacul Bugeac	*	2 942,8		27,437842	44,081742
ROSCI0151	Pădurea Gârboavele	*	219,8		27,997914	45,576669
ROSCI0157	Pădurea Hagieni — Cotul Văii	*	3 680,1		28,427772	43,742622
ROSCI0162	Lunca Siretului Inferior	*	24 980,6		27,270253	45,878
ROSCI0163	Pădurea Mogoș — Mâțele	*	65,5		27,948678	45,721917
ROSCI0165	Pădurea Pogănești	*	173,5		28,0255	45,976192
ROSCI0169	Pădurea Seaca — Movileni	*	50,7		27,533314	46,288261
ROSCI0172	Pădurea și Valea Canaraua Fetii — Iortmac	*	13 636,7		27,611631	44,027705
ROSCI0175	Pădurea Tălășmani		54,3		27,840661	46,122075
ROSCI0178	Pădurea Torcești		132,1		27,490425	45,680747
ROSCI0191	Peștera Limanu		21,4		28,522075	43,807069
ROSCI0201	Podișul Nord Dobrogean	*	84875		28,48925	44,766353
ROSCI0213	Râul Prut		10 583,4		28,127055	46,129622
ROSCI0215	Recifii Jurasici Cheia	*	5 654,5		28,453094	44,483892
ROSCI0259	Valea Călmățuiului	*	18 125,7		27,416908	44,953353
ROSCI0278	Bordușani — Borcea	*	5 847,5		27,913892	44,520333
ROSCI0286	Colinele Elanului	*	741,4		28,12623	46,400597
ROSCI0290	Coridorul Ialomiței	*	27 109,2		26,883194	44,602303
ROSCI0305	Ianca — Plopu — Sărat — Comăneasca	*	3 234,5		27,717489	45,227367
ROSCI0307	Lacul Sărat — Brăila	*	329,4		27,895547	45,207547
ROSCI0309	Lacurile din jurul Măscurei		1139		27,539814	46,388753
ROSCI0315	Lunca Chineja		923,9		28,037417	45,761705
ROSCI0319	Mlaștina de la Fetești		2 110,9		27,802817	44,340708
ROSCI0340	Cuiugiuc	*	139		27,51245	44,034981
ROSCI0343	Pădurile din Silvostepa Mostiștei	*	2 115,3		26,725792	44,242261
ROSCI0353	Peștera — Deleni		2 549,3		28,083069	44,115219
ROSCI0360	Râul Bârlad între Zorleni și Gura Gârbăvoțului		2 478,8		27,66963	46,20675
ROSCI0389	Sărăturile de la Gura Ialomiței — Mihai Bravu	*	3 488,6		27,75385	44,755803
ROSCI0398	Straja — Cumpăna		1 099,8		28,504836	44,091892
ROSCI0412	Ivrinezu		411,1		28,003356	44,249917