Judgment of the Court (Seventh Chamber) of 21 March 2024 (request for a preliminary ruling from the Verwaltungsgerichtshof – Austria) – T GmbH v Bezirkshauptmannschaft Spittal an der Drau

(Case C-671/22,  (1) Bezirkshauptmannschaft Spittal an der Drau)

(Reference for a preliminary ruling - Environment - EU action in the field of water policy - Directive 2000/60/EC - Environmental objectives relating to surface water - Prevention of deterioration of the status of all bodies of surface water - Point 1.2.2 of Annex V - Definitions for ‘high’, ‘good’ and ‘moderate’ ecological status in lakes - Criteria for assessing the biological quality element ‘fish fauna’)

(C/2024/3132)

Language of the case: German

Referring court

Verwaltungsgerichtshof

Parties to the main proceedings

Appellant: T GmbH

Respondent: Bezirkshauptmannschaft Spittal an der Drau

Operative part of the judgment

Point 1.2.2 of Annex V to Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy

must be interpreted as meaning that, first, as regards the criteria for assessing the biological quality element ‘fish fauna’, ‘anthropogenic disturbance’, within the meaning of that point, should be understood as any disturbance caused by human activity, including any change capable of affecting the composition and abundance of fish species, and, second, all those disturbances are relevant for the purposes of classifying the ecological status of ‘fish fauna’.

(1)   OJ C 63, 20.2.2023.