WRITTEN QUESTION P-2090/02

by Ioannis Averoff (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(10 July 2002)

Subject: Construction of a hydroelectric power plant at Rona, district of Anilios, Metsovo, by the firm Lakmos Energiaki AE

In its answer to my question P-1521/02(1), the Commission informed me that the Greek authorities had confirmed that a limited capacity hydroelectric power plant was to be built at Anilios and that a decision had been taken to approve the environmental criteria. I would also submit the following, additional information for the Commission's attention.

The residents of Anilios, in conjunction with the municipality of Metsovo, applied to the Court of First Instance at Ioannina for the immediate suspension of the work. The application was granted by decision No 2150/2001, which provisionally prohibited the work pending a final judgment in a case already before the Metsovo County Court due to be heard on 20 September 2002.

The application for suspension of the works claimed that the authorisation of the project was illegal on the following grounds:

- the hydroelectric plant's capacity (function of the difference in elevation between the dam, the plant and the water supply) is obviously more than 1MW since the effective difference in elevation between the dam and the plant is more than the 182 metres shown on the plans, and the water supply greatly exceeds 400lt/sec, even if only the Rona sources are taken into account when, in fact the project will also use the waters of the Metsovitikos II and Arkoudorema sources. These false data were deliberately issued by the accused company in an attempt to represent the hydroelectric power plant as having less capacity in order to circumvent the statutory procedure for approving the project's location in advance (Joint Ministerial Decision 30557/96), which makes its implementation illegal;

- the water collection point is built in a Natura 2000 area (GR 2130006), which is also home to the brown bear Ursus arctos, a priority protected species, while the water pipeline crosses an area of particular natural beauty with a wealth of flora and fauna, facts which were not taken into account when the project was authorised.

In the light of the foregoing, will the Commission say whether the annexes accompanying the Greek authorities' answer refer to the above data? What action will it take after examining those annexes, bearing in mind that the Ministry of Development has incorporated the project in the 3rd CSF?

(1) See page 169.

Réponse donnée par Mme Wallström au nom de la Commission

(2 August 2002)

Sur la base des faits dénoncés par l'honorable parlementaire, la Commission a ouvert d'office un dossier afin d'examiner si les travaux en question respectent la législation communautaire sur l'environnement.

Dans le cadre de l'examen de ce dossier, la Commission s'est adressée aux autorités grecques et a reçu leur réponse formelle fin mai 2002. Cette réponse qui contient des annexes volumineuses affirme (i) qu'il n'existe qu'une installation hydroélectrique de faible capacité à Anilio, pour laquelle une décision approuvant les termes environnementaux a été adoptée, (ii) qu'il n'existe pas de projet de construction d'une installation hydroélectrique à Vovoussa et (iii) que pour le projet d'installation hydroélectrique à Agios Nikolaos à la rivière d'Arachthos près de la commune de Dafnoti une étude de Préapprobation de Localisation a été déposée auprès des autorités nationales, qui sont en train de l'évaluer.

La Commission est en train d'analyser en détail les informations contenues dans cette réponse afin de constater si les projets en cause auront un impact environnemental négatif significatif. La Commission prendra toutes les mesures nécessaires pour assurer que la législation communautaire sur l'environnement est bien appliquée. La Commission invite l'honorable parlementaire à lui soumettre toutes les informations supplémentaires susceptibles de contester les informations soumises par les autorités grecques.