L123/76 Official Journal of the European Union 8.5.2008 COMMISSION DECISION of 28 March 2008 adopting, pursuant to Council Directive 92[43[EEC, a first updated list of sites of Community importance for the Mediterranean biogeographical region (notified under document number C(2008) 1148) (2008/335/EC) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (1) and in particular the third subparagraph of Article 4(2) thereof, Whereas: The Mediterranean biogeographical region referred to in Article 1(c)(iii) of Directive 92/43/EEC, comprises the ter- ritory of Greece, Malta and Cyprus, in accordance to Article 1 of Protocol No 10 of the 2003 Act of Accession, and parts of the territory of France, Italy, Portugal, Spain and, in accordance to Article 299(4) of the Treaty, the ter- ritory of Gibraltar for whose external relations the United Kingdom is responsible, as specified in the biogeographi- cal map approved on 25 April 2005 by the Committee set up by Article 20 of that Directive, hereinafter, ‘the Habi- tats Committee’. It is necessary in the context of a process initiated since 1995 to make further progress in the actual establishment of the Natura 2000 network, which is an essential element of the protection of biodiversity in the Community. An initial list of sites of Community importance for the Mediterranean biogeographical region, within the meaning of Directive 92/43/EEC was adopted by Commission Deci- sion 2006/613/EC (2). On the basis of Articles 4(4) and 6(1) of Directive 92/43EEC, the Member State concerned shall designate the sites included in the list of sites of Commu- nity importance for the Mediterranean biogeographical region as special areas of conservation as soon as possible and within six years at most, establishing conservation pri- orities and the necessary conservation measures. () OJ L 206, 22.7.1992, p. 7. Directive as last amended by Directive 2006/105/EC (O] L 363, 20.12.2006, p. 368). () OJ L 259, 21.9.2006, p. 1. ) In the context of a dynamic adaptation of the Natura 2000 network, the lists of sites of Community importance are reviewed. The update of that initial list is therefore necessary. On the one hand, the update of the initial list of sites of Community importance for the Mediterranean biogeo- graphical region is necessary in order to include additional sites that have been proposed since March 2006 by the Member States as sites of Community importance for the Mediterranean biogeographical region within the meaning of Article 1 of Directive 92/43[EEC. The obligations result- ing from Articles 4(4) and 6(1) of Directive 92/43[EEC are applicable as soon as possible and within six years at most from the adoption of the first updated list of sites of Com- munity importance for the Mediterranean biogeographical region. On the other hand, the update of the initial list of sites of Community importance for the Mediterranean biogeo- graphical region is necessary in order to reflect any changes in site related information submitted by the Member States following the adoption of the Community list. In that sense, the first updated list of sites of Community impor- tance for the Mediterranean biogeographical region con- stitutes a consolidated version of the initial list of sites of Community importance for the Mediterranean biogeo- graphical region. However, it should be stressed that the obligations resulting from Articles 4(4) and 6(1) of Direc- tive 92/43/EEC are applicable as soon as possible and within six years at most from the adoption of the initial list of sites of Community importance for the Mediterranean biogeographical region. For the Mediterranean biogeographical region, lists of sites proposed as sites of Community importance within the meaning of Article 1 of Directive 92/43/EEC have been transmitted to the Commission between January 2003 and September 2006, in accordance with Article 4(1) of the Directive, by Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Cyprus, Malta, Portugal and United Kingdom. The lists of proposed sites were accompanied by informa- tion on each site, supplied in the format established by Commission Decision 97/266/EC of 18 December 1996 concerning a site information format for proposed Natura 2000 sites (3). () OJL 107, 24.4.1997, p. 1.