• Recommendation on Natura 2000 designation – Marine Natura 2000: Recognizing the progress made in studying and designating marine Natura 2000 sites; acknowledging the very high importance of Estonian marine areas as sea birds’ habitats and the existing gaps in knowledge of these areas; EOS calls upon the Estonian Government to intensify the designation of offshore Natura 2000 sites and to initiate inventories in EEZ.

By 2014 the network of terrestrial and offshore Natura 2000 sites (in territorial waters) should be complete, while studies in EEZ should be ongoing and systematic.

• Recommendation on Natura 2000 management: Acknowledging the extensive effort in management planning, EOS emphasizes that further implementation of existing management plans has at least the same importance as the planning itself.

By 2014 the first round of management planning should be complete and the implementation should be ongoing and financially secured. All Natura 2000 sites should have management plans and at least 75% of the foreseen actions must be funded.

• Recommendation on Natura 2000 financing – more funding for monitoring: Monitoring of Natura 2000 sites is an important obligation to meet the requirements of the nature directives and assess the conservation status and management efficiency of sites, species and habitats. The Estonian Government must secure sufficient funding for a Natura 2000 monitoring scheme.

• Recommendation on degradation of protected areas: Impact assessments. There is a need to improve the quality of impact assessments through improved reviewing of reports, and changing the financing scheme in which the developer pays directly to an EIA expert. A state co-ordinated fund for financing EIA-s would be the best solution to this problem.