Recognising the increasingly serious problem of invasive alien species in Europe, the European Commission is currently working on a dedicated legislative instrument on Invasive Alien Species which is due to be adopted in 2012. This is one of six key objectives of the new EU 2020 Biodiversity Strategy adopted in May 2011.

Three Working Groups were set up to provide advice and expertise and to formulate opinions and recommendations to the Commission in relation to the preparation of the future EU Strategy on Invasive Alien Species:

1. Working Group Prevention
2. Working Group Early Warning and Rapid Response
3. Working Group Eradication, Management and Restoration.

The Working Groups have finalized their work and produced the following reports:

• Priority species and habitats including introduction, release and holding of alien species (Working Group 1 Prevention, Task Group 1)
• Pathways for invasive species in the European Union (Working Group 1 Prevention, Task Group 2)
• Risk Analysis (Working Group 1 Prevention, Task Group 3)
• Establishment of an EU information system on alien and invasive alien species (IAS) (Working Group 2 Early Warning and Rapid Response)
• Surveillance, inspection and monitoring (Working Group 2 Early Warning and Rapid Response)
• Early warning and rapid response (Working Group 2 Early Warning and Rapid Response)
• Citizen Science Reporting Systems and Capacity Building (Working Group 2 Early Warning and Rapid Response)
• Eradication, Containment, Management and Restoration (Working Group 3 Eradication, Management and Restoration)
• Awareness raising & information sharing (Working Groups 1, 2 and 3)
• Financing and liability (Working Groups 1, 2 and 3)

All the reports, working materials and further documents on the development of the EU Strategy on Invasive Alien Species can be accessed online through the following links:

DG Environment website >>>