This recent report by IEEP and several key European IAS experts paves the way for further development of the EU IAS Strategy. This work, carried out for the European Commission, sets out a suggested outline for key components of the future Strategy, envisaged to be finalised in 2011-2012. The report recommends that a dedicated IAS Directive would be the most effective instrument for addressing IAS risks at the EU level. This Directive would provide a flexible framework with minimum standards for IAS action in the EU, taking into account synergies with other relevant policy sectors (e.g. animal and plant health) and giving specific consideration to areas of highest ecological vulnerability, including the EU Outermost Regions.

The report provides an initial assessment of the possible scale of costs and benefits associated with EU policy action on IAS. It concludes that even at the highest level of investment in IAS policy development and implementation, EU-level policy action is likely to bring more benefits (e.g. avoided costs) than it is estimated to cost. Coordinated measures taken at the Community level, such as establishing an EU-wide system for early warning and rapid response for IAS, would help to reduce costs for EU-27 as a whole.

• Assessment to Support Continued Development of the EU Strategy to Combat Invasive Alien Species PDF 5 MB