WRITTEN QUESTION E-1499/02

by Jean Lambert (Verts/ALE) and Inger Schörling (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(29 May 2002)

Subject: Road through the Parque de Tamadaba (Gran Canaria, Spain)

The Tamadaba natural park, on the island of Gran Canaria (Spain), is of the greatest ecological significance; in Pinar de Tamadaba there is a special bird protection zone (3 400 hectares SPBZ 355), and the 7 528 hectares of the Site of Community Interest (SCI) ES7010009) cover almost the entire park. Many of the habitats represented in these areas are priority habitats(1). The Canaries Government is also thinking about making two areas into an exclusion zone, mainly for the purpose of reintroducing the Fringilla teydea polatzeki, the blue Gran Canaria bullfinch, a species which was the subject of LIFE projects in 1994 and 1998. The latter, with 60 % EU funding, began in 1999, and runs for four years. Within this protected area, the Canaries Government's Department of Public Works, on the grounds of the social importance of improving communications between the village of La Aldea with the capital of the island, has proposed building a new high-speed road with an average velocity of 80 kph. 14 tunnels and 21 viaducts are planned, two of them some 90 metres high and with minimum radia of 250 metres. The Department claim is that this will cut the distance between Agaete and La Aldea from 32 km to 19, and reduce the journey time to between 15 and 20 minutes. Despite the public protests which have taken place, pointing out that 16 or 20 alternatives exist, the Department has refused to consider any other kind of road. All sorts of analyses are missing from the environmental impact assessment(2). The budget for building this road is Ptas 25 billion (slightly over 150 million), 15 billion of which are to come from the central government's Ministry of Development ('roads agreement'). It would appear that the latter funds are to come from the ERDF.

Can the Commission take the requisite measures to protect the site in question, and ensure that alternatives are taken into account, as provided for in Directive 92/43(3) and 97/11(4)? Is Community funding allocated to this road? If so, can the Commission block the funding?

(1) Habitats and species covered by Directive 92/43: 4050*; 5330; 7220*; 8320; 9320; 9363*; 9550; 1812*; 1737*; 1728; 1536; 1819; 1656*.

(2) For example: there is no serious assessment of the environmental cost of the work; there is no reference to the impact of opening up the tracks and the earth moving which will have to take place in order to get to where the new road is to be built, in very rugged and inaccessible terrain, with steep hills; there is no adequate assessment of the impact of the road on the archaeological heritage (Guayedra, Tirma and Barranco de la Aldea); and there is no solution provided for the hundreds of thousands of cubic metres of rubble from the tunnels.

(3) OJ L 206, 22.7.1992, p. 7.

(4) OJ L 73, 14.3.1997, p. 5.

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(10 July 2002)

The Honourable Members have expressed their concern in relation to a project to build a new road within the Natura 2000 site Pinar de Tamadaba.

On 9 January 2002, the Official Journal of the European Communities published the Commission Decision of 28 December 2001 adopting the list of sites of Community importance for the Macaronesian bio-geographical region(1), pursuant to Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora.

The Tamadaba site is included in the Macaronesian list with the code ES0000111.

The Honourable Members stated that two LIFE projects have been approved by the Commission in order to protect the Blue chaffinch in the area.

The last LIFE project has the code B4-3200/98/469 Conservation of the Blue Chaffinch of Gran Canaria. The project's objective is to reduce the risk of extinction of the Gran Canaria sub-species. It will draw up a recovery plan and implement two tangible measures: establishment of new population nuclei and, by getting the factors contributing to mortality under control, boosting the survival rate in order to secure the existing population. One of the specific targets is to restore the population in the Tamadaba pinewood, which has now almost vanished. The project will last for four years, until December 2002.

The total cost of the project is 329 398 and the Commission is providing 197 638 (60 %).

The management and protection of sites in Natura 2000 is undertaken in accordance with the requirements of Article 6 of Council Directive 92/43/EEC. The Directive provides clear procedures for dealing with proposed plans and projects, which are not necessary for the management of the Natura 2000 site, but that are likely to have a significant effect on it.

In relation to the project to construct a new road, the Commission is not aware of this initiative. The Commission has not received any information from the Spanish government in relation to any plan or project to build a new road within the Natura 2000 site. The Commission will therefore request the Spanish authorities to provide information in relation to the aforementioned project.

In accordance with the principle of subsidiarity and pursuant to Council Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 of 21 June 1999 laying down general provisions on the Structural Funds(2), the choice of projects and their implementation is the responsibility of the Member States. Accordingly, the Commission has contacted the Spanish authorities to obtain information on the possible co-financing of this project and will inform the Honourables Members as soon as it has received it.

(1) Commission Decision 2002/11/EC of 28 December 2001, OJ L 5, 9.1.2002.

(2) OJ L 161, 26.6.1999.