Request for a preliminary ruling from the Verwaltungsgerichtshof (Austria) lodged on 1 June 2017 — Gerhard Prenninger and Others

(Case C-329/17)

(2017/C 318/06)

Language of the case: German

Referring court

Verwaltungsgerichtshof

Parties to the main proceedings

Applicants: Gerhard Prenninger, Karl Helmberger, Franziska Zimmer, Franz Scharinger, Norbert Pühringer, Agrargemeinschaft Pettenbach, Marktgemeinde Vorchdorf, Marktgemeinde Pettenbach, Gemeinde Steinbach am Ziehberg

Question referred

Must Directive 2011/92/EU (1) of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 2011 on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment (the EIA Directive) be interpreted as meaning that the ‘clearance of a path’ for the purpose of the construction of a power supply system and for the duration of its lawful existence constitutes ‘deforestation for the purposes of conversion to another type of land use’ within the meaning of point 1(d) of Annex II to the EIA Directive?

(1)  OJ 2012 L 26, p. 1.