L 24/740 Official Journal of the European Union 26.1.2013 COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION of 16 November 2012 adopting a first updated list of sites of Community importance for the Black Sea biogeographical region (notified under document C(2012) 8234) (2013/30/EU) 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, Whereas: (1) The Black Sea biogeographical region referred to in Article 1(c)(iii) of Directive 92[43/EEC comprises parts of the Union territories of Bulgaria and Romania, as specified in the biogeographical map approved on 20 April 2005 by the Committee set up by Article 20 of that Directive, hereinafter the ‘Habitats Committee’. (2) It is necessary in the context of a process which was initiated in 1995 to make further progress in the actual establishment of the Natura 2000 network, which is an essential element of the protection of biodi- versity in the Union. (3)  The initial list of sites of Community importance for the Black Sea biogeographical region, within the meaning of Directive 92[43[EEC, was adopted by Commission Decision 2009/92/EC (3. On the basis of Articles 4(4) and 6(1) of Directive 92[43[EEC, the Member State concerned has to designate the sites included in the list of sites of Community importance for the Black Sea biogeographical region as special areas of conservation as soon as possible and within six years at most, estab- lishing conservation priorities and the necessary conser- vation measures. (4)  In the context of a dynamic adaptation of the Natura 2000 network, the lists of sites of Community importance are reviewed. An update of the list of sites of Community importance for the Black Sea biogeo- graphical region is therefore necessary. (5)  On the one hand, the update of the list of sites of Community importance for the Black Sea biogeo- graphical region is necessary in order to include additional sites that have been proposed since 2010 by Member States as sites of Community importance for the Black Sea biogeographical region within the meaning of Article 1 of Directive 92/43/EEC. For these additional sites, the obligations resulting from Articles 4(4) and () O] L 206, 22.7.1992, p. 7. () O] L 43, 13.2.2009, p. 59. (10) (11) 6(1) of Directive 92/43/EEC should apply as soon as possible and within six years at most from the adoption of this Decision. On the other hand, the update of the list of sites of Community importance for the Black Sea biogeo- graphical region is necessary in order to reflect any changes in site-related information submitted by Member States following the adoption of the initial Union list. In that sense, this updated list of sites of Community importance for the Black Sea biogeo- graphical region constitutes a consolidated version of the list of sites of Community importance for the Black Sea biogeographical region. It should be stressed that, for any site included in this Decision, the obligations resulting from Articles 4(4) and 6(1) of Directive 92/43[EEC should apply as soon as possible and within six years at most from the adoption of the list of sites of Community importance in which the site was included for the first time. For the Black Sea biogeographical region, lists of sites proposed as sites of Community importance within the meaning of Article 1 of Directive 92/43/EEC were trans- mitted to the Commission between March 2007 and October 2011, in accordance with Article 4(1) of that Directive 92/43/EEC. The lists of proposed sites were accompanied by information on each site, supplied in the format estab- lished by Commission Decision 97/266/EC  of 18 December 1996 concerning a site information format for proposed Natura 2000 sites (). That information includes the map of the site transmitted by the Member States concerned, name, location and extent of the site, and the data yielded by application of the criteria specified in Annex Il to Directive 92/43EEC. On the basis of the draft list drawn up by the Commission in agreement with each of the Member States 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 Black Sea biogeographical region should be adopted. 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 done using the best available information at present. () OJ L 107, 24.4.1997, p. 1.