Court of Justice 7 March 2000, C-371/98 (The Queen v Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, ex parte First Corporate Shipping Ltd, interveners: World Wide Fund for Nature UK (WWF) and Avon Wildlife Trust.)

Opinion of the Advocate-General Opinion of the Advocate-General 1. The High Court of Justice of England and Wales, Queen's Bench Division, has referred a question to the Court for a preliminary ruling on the interpretation of Article 4(1) in conjunction with Article 2(3) of Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (hereinafter