AnswergivenbyMrsWallströmonbehalfoftheCommission
(24July2003)
The Honourable Member is referring to the blueprint Mineral Resources Management Plan of the
AutonomousCommunityofValencia.
TheCommissiondoesnothaveinformationregardingthismanagementplan.TheNatura2000networkis
establishedundertheHabitatsDirective(1)andinprincipletheDirectivedoesnotprohibitanyactivity
withinaNatura2000site.
Article6oftheaforementioneddirectiveestablishesthatanyplanorprojectnotdirectlyconnectedwith
or necessary to the management of the site but likely to have a significant effect thereon, eitherindividuallyorincombinationwithotherplansorprojects,shallbesubjecttoappropriateassessmentofitsimplicationsforthesiteinviewofthesite’sconservationobjectives.Inthelightoftheconclusionsoftheassessmentoftheimplicationsforthesiteandsubjecttotheprovisionsofparagraph4ofthisarticle,thecompetentnationalauthoritiesshallagreetotheplanorprojectonlyafterhavingascertainedthatitwillnotadverselyaffecttheintegrityofthesiteconcernedand,ifappropriate,afterhavingobtainedtheopinionofthegeneralpublic.
AccordingtotheinformationprovidedbytheHonourableMemberanenvironmentalimpactassessment
willbecompulsoryforanyactionwithinprotectedareas.Therefore,itseemsthatthemeasuresadoptedbytheauthoritiesfollowtherequirementsoftheHabitatsdirective.
Nevertheless,itisforeseeablethatthenationalauthoritiessubmittheplanandalltheindividualprojectsto
anenvironmentalassessmentaccordingtotheprovisionsofarticle6oftheHabitatsDirective.
(1) CouncilDirective92/43/EECof21May1992ontheconservationofnaturalhabitatsandofwildfaunaandflora,
OJL206,22.7.1992.
(2004/C58E/126) WRITTENQUESTIONE-1907/03
byPatriciaMcKenna(Verts/ALE)totheCommission
(11June2003)
Subject:TheLesMaríneshousingprojectinDeniaintheValenciaregion,Spain
On 1August 2002 the town council of Denia (Valencia Region) provisionally adopted sectoral
authorisationfor400hectaresofbuildinglandatLesMarínesinordertoaltertherelevantcategoryinaccordancewiththelawregulatingtownplanningactivities,sothatthelandmaybeusedtobuild17000dwellings.TheauthorisationwasadoptedbytheAlicantetownplanningcommitteeon3February2002,whichmeansthattheworkmaystartatanytime.‘LesMarínes’isawetlandofgreatenvironmentalvalueworthy of protection and urgent restoration. The deterioration of the area may have disastrous
consequencesfortheenvironmentandtheinhabitantsofDenia,whichdoesnothaveenoughfacilities(it
hasapopulationofaround35000,whichalreadyrisesto100000insummer,anditdoesnothaveenoughschools,hospitalbedsorwastemanagementservices).Theareawherebuildingworkisplannedishometoanumberofplantspeciesrecognisedinthe‘Habitats’Directive(92/43/EEC)(
1)andmorethan
100birdspecies,someofwhicharelistedinAnnex1totheDirectiveonbirds(79/409/EEC(2)):Emberiza
hortulana,Nycticoraxnycticorax,Egrettagarzetta,Ardeapurpurea,Falcocolumbarius,Larusaudouinii,Sternasandvicensis,ChlidoniasnigerandAlcedoatthis.
The Les Marínes area is also surrounded, within a distance of one kilometre, by three habitats of
Community interest: the Pego-Oliva marsh, L’Almadrava (a Posidonia oceanica marine ecosystem, thesubjectofquestionE-2661/02(
3))andElMontgó.Alltheseareascontainpriorityspecies.TheEuropean
Parliament and Council Recommendation concerning the implementation of Integrated Coastal ZoneManagementinEurope(
4)of30May2002isbeingcompletelydisregarded,althoughtherecommendation
waspromotedbytheSpanishpresidency.Theprojecthasalreadybeenthesubjectofcomplaintstothelocalandregionalauthorities,buttherehasbeennoresponse.6.3.2004EN C58E/111 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanUnion
1. WhatstepswilltheCommissiontaketodemandadetailedassessmentoftheproject’senvironmental
impact?
2. Does it not consider that an assessment of the environmental impact on the nearby sites of
Communityinterestshouldalsobecarriedout?
3. CantheCommissionsaywhatactionhasbeentakeninresponsetoquestionE-2661/02onthe
projectforregenerationoftheAlmadravaandLesDevessesbeaches?
(1) OJL206,22.7.1992,p.7.
(2) OJL103,25.4.1979,p.1.
(3) OJC110E,8.5.2003,p.82.
(4) OJL148,6.6.2002,p.24.
AnswergivenbyMrsWallströmonbehalfoftheCommission
(24July2003)
TheCommissionhasbeeninformedaboutthefactsreferredtobytheHonourableMemberthrougha
complaint. As part of its investigation of this compliant, the Commissionhas contacted the SpanishauthoritiestoaskfortheircommentsonthefactsreferredtoandtheapplicationofDirectives85/337/EEC(
1)and92/43/EEC(2)inthecaseinquestion.
ThecompetentauthoritiesoftheMemberStatearerequired,inaccordancewithCouncilDirective85/337/
EEC,asamendedbyCouncilDirective97/11/ECof3March1997(3),todetermine,followingacase-by-
caseexaminationorbylayingdownthresholdsorcriteria,whethertheenvironmentaleffectsofurban
developmentprojectsmustbeassessedbeforeauthorisationisgiven.
If the project referred to were also likely to have a significant impact on the sites of Community
importance(SCI)referredtobytheHonourableMember,whichwereproposedbytheSpanishauthoritiesfortheestablishmentoftheNatura2000network,anappropriateassessmentoftheproject’simpactonthesitesshouldbecarriedout.Inthelightoftheconclusionsofthatassessment,thecompetentauthoritieswouldonlybeabletogive their approvalforthe projectafterensuring thatitwouldnotaffecttheintegrityofthesitesconcernedand,whereappropriate,afterconsultingthepublic.Despiteanynegativeconclusionsoftheassessmentoftheimpactonthesites,theprojectwouldneverthelessbeabletobecarriedoutforimperativereasonsofoverridingpublicinterest,includingthoseofasocialoreconomicnature,iftherearenoalternativesolutions.Inthiscase,theMemberStateisrequiredtotakeallnecessarycompensatorymeasurestoensurethattheoverallcoherenceofNatura2000isprotected.
WithregardtotheactiontakeninresponsetoquestionE-2661/02fromMrsPatriciaMcKenna(
4)onthe
projectfortheregenerationoftheAlmadravaandDevessesbeaches,theCommissionhasconsideredthereply fromthe Spanish authorities andtakes the view that the authorities have notproperly appliedCommunitylaw,asaresultwhichithasinitiatedaninfringementprocedure.TheCommissionsenttheSpanishauthoritiesaletterofformalnoticeintheframeworkofthisprocedure.TheircommentsinreplytothisletterarecurrentlybeingconsideredbytheCommission.
Withregardtotheactiontakenonpetition472/2000,theCommissionhasalreadysentthreerepliesto
Parliament dated 7March 2002, 18October 2002 and 8April 2003. The petition has notyet beendiscussedbyaParliamentaryCommittee.
(1) CouncilDirective 85/337/EECof27June1985ontheassessmentoftheeffectsofcertain publicandprivate
projectsontheenvironment,OJL175,5.7.1985.
(2) CouncilDirective92/43/EECof21May1992ontheconservationofnaturalhabitatsandofwildfloraandfauna,
OJL206,22.7.1992.
(3) OJL73,14.3.1997.
(4) OJC110E,8.5.2003,p.82.C58E/112 EN6.3.2004 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanUnion