European Court Issues Key Ruling On AA And AA Screening

On 16 July 2026, the Court of Justice of the European Union (Court) handed down judgment in joined cases C-27/25 – Knocknamona and C-356/25 – Massey (judgment). The Court concluded that where conservation objectives specific to the special protection area have not been adopted beforehand, a national authority cannot carry out a valid appropriate assessment (AA) of the implications of a plan or project for the integrity of that area, in the context of an application for consent for that plan or project.

In the context of the screening phase, it may be possible to delimit the geographical area likely to be affected by a plan or project without having to take into account the conservation objectives specific to each protected site. However, the assessment of the probability or risk that such a plan or project will have a significant effect on a protected site within that geographical area cannot be carried out without taking into account the conservation objectives specific to that