WRITTEN QUESTION E-3087/01

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(13 November 2001)

Subject: Plans to build 109 wind turbines on the route taken by migratory birds along the Dutch section of the Wadden Sea and early notification of incompatibility with directives

1. Is the Commission aware that on 18 October 2001 the Dutch government decided to build 109 wind turbines ranging from 60 to 75 million in height along the southern shore of the Wadden Sea. The wind turbines will stand in the water on either side of the Afsluitdijk dam built in 1932 between the shallow, saltwater and eutrophic Wadden Sea which leads into the North Sea and the Ijsselmeer, which is cut off from the sea and now filled with fresh river water?

2. Is the Commission also aware that the whole of the Dutch coast is on the route taken by migratory birds including geese, oyster catchers and eider duck migrating between Scandinavia and northern Russia and the west coast of Africa and that, in addition, the Wadden Sea is not only a permanent habitat for sea birds but also a feeding ground for migratory birds?

3. Does the Commission not consider that in these circumstances the Dutch coast, and the Wadden Sea in particular, are unsuitable sites for wind turbines which are likely to cause large-scale carnage of birds every year and, consequently, that the siting of these wind turbines is incompatible with the proper application of the Birds and Habitats directives?

4. Is the Commission aware that the German and Danish governments intend to keep their areas of the Wadden Sea free from wind turbines but that the Dutch government is still hoping that this project will comply with European Union directives?

5. Is the Commission prepared to notify the Dutch government at the earliest possible stage of its investigation into the admissibility of implementing this plan if it considers that the siting of wind turbines in and along the Wadden Sea is in breach of the directives, to avoid preparatory investments being made for a plan that cannot be implemented?

6. Is the Commission prepared to discuss with the Dutch government other possible sites for the construction of a large windfarm, either on land or far offshore in the North Sea, that do not have the disadvantages of the current plans and could generate the targeted green electricity for between 250 000 and 300 000 households?

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(7 January 2002)

1. The Commission was not aware that on 18 October 2001 the government of the Netherlands decided to build 109 wind turbines ranging from 60 to 75 metres in height along the southern shore of the Wadden Sea.

2. The Commission is aware of the importance of the Dutch coast as a staging and feeding post for migratory birds on the western Atlantic flyway between the Arctic and the west coast of Africa. This was the reason why the Wadden Sea and other coastal sites have been classified by the government of the Netherlands as Special Protection Areas pursuant to the provisions of Article 4 of Council Directive 79/409/EEC of 2 April 1979 on the conservation of wild birds(1).

3. The Commission considers that any plans or projects having a significant effect on sites belonging to the Natura 2000 network, including Special Protection Areas, as is the case of the Wadden Sea in particular, should be assessed according to the provisions of Article 6 (3) of Council Directive 92/43/EC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (hereafter the Habitats Directive) before consent is given. Moreover, the Commission considers that where the Member State intends to carry out the plan or project, in spite of a negative assessment of the implications for the site, provisions of Article 6(4) should be complied.

4. The Commission has not requested nor received any information from the German and Danish governments about their intentions to keep their areas of the Wadden Sea free from wind turbines.

5. The Commission has no powers to impose on Member States detailed instructions about the choice of the siting of windfarms or any other energy projects. It will however make representations before the government of the Netherlands to ensure that the provisions of Article 6(3) and (4) of the Habitats Directive are complied with in this case.

(1) OJ L 103, 25.4.1979.