WRITTEN QUESTION E-0819/00

by María Sornosa Martínez (PSE) to the Commission

(21 March 2000)

Subject: Diversion of water from the River Júcar to Vinalopó in Valencia (Spain)

According to recent press reports in the Autonomous Region of Valencia the Spanish Ministry of the Environment has asked the European Union for aid for the Júcar-Vinalopó water diversion project. The work on this project was approved by the Spanish authorities in August 1998 for the alleged purpose of meeting the needs of the districts of Vinalopó, Alacanti and Marína Baja, without any danger of over-exploiting the aquifers. However, since the project was announced, the neighbourhood associations of the communities affected, such as the Riu Xúquer coordinating committee, trade unions such as the CCOO and other environmental groups have been claiming that the various routes proposed, taking water from the La Muela or Cortes reservoirs, would have an extremely adverse environmental impact on the fauna, flora, landscape, aquifers and cultural heritage of the district they would go through.

Furthermore the town councils, associations and communities affected have doubts about the energy efficiency arguments used by the project's advocates, in that the energy saved by pumping the water from the La Muela reservoir would be lost elsewhere, since there is not enough volume to harness the waters downstream, making it impossible to use them to generate energy. Furthermore, the groups opposed to the diversion suspect that the real purpose of the project is to provide water resources for the Terra Mítica theme park now under construction.

In view of the fact that:

- the current environmental impact study accompanying the project does not assess to what extent the diversion will affect the minimum volume of water needed by the environment,

- the diverted waters flow thorough an area in which considerable human and financial resources have for many years been devoted to developing depressed areas, for example under the EU's Leader programme, and the project would have an adverse effect on these vulnerable areas,

- a study carried out by the regional government shows that taking water from the Júcar would affect Lake Albufera (a protected zone under the LIFE programme), since 50 % of its water comes from the streams belonging to the Júcar irrigation system,

can the Commission say whether it is true that the Ministry for the Environment has applied for aid for the Júcar-Vinalopó diversion? If so, under which budget heading is the allocation and what funding is being allocated

Does the Commission not consider that this project may constitute an infringement of Community environmental legislation, in particular because of the absence of a statement of the environmental impact, the possible infringement of the Directive on habitats, etc.?

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(26 May 2000)

The Commission cannot say at this stage whether a funding request for the project in question will form part of the new 2000-2006 programme under Council Regulation No 1260/1999 laying down general provisions on the Structural Funds(1) or Council Regulation No 1164/1994 establishing a Cohesion Fund(2). The projects to be put forward for Structural Fund financing will be determined once the current procedure for adopting the operational programmes has been completed.

The Commission would point out that Article 2 of Council Directive 85/337/EEC of 27 June 1985 on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment(3) stipulates that projects likely to have significant effects on the environment by virtue, inter alia, of their nature, size or location must be made subject to an assessment with regard to their effects before authorisation is granted. This provision applies to the projects listed in Annexes I and II to the Directive.

As for the installations mentioned by the Honourable Member, Annex II(10)(e) refers to canalisation and flood-relief works, and Article 4(2) of the Directive stipulates that projects of the classes listed in Annex II must be made subject to an assessment where Member States consider that their characteristics so require.

Moreover, the Commission recently received a complaint on this same subject, and is currently examining the dossier. As guardian of the Treaties, the Commission will in any event take the necessary steps to ensure that Community law is observed in this instance.

(1) OJ L 161, 26.6.1999.

(2) OJ L 130, 25.5.1994.

(3) OJ L 175, 5.7.1985.