EN Official Journal of the European Union CE 84/876

(2004/C 84 E/0970)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0771/04

by Caroline Lucas (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(5 March 2004)

Subject: La Breña II dam — compensation measures

The Commission's decision, in December 2003, to co-finance with EUR 80 million the La Breña dam, part of the Spanish National Hydrological Plan, included a set of compensation measures agreed with the Spanish authorities. These are presumably meant to reduce the negative impacts of the project.

Will the Commission provide a list of these compensation measures? Since the new dam will create a reservoir four times the current size in the middle of a Natura 2000 area, how does the Commission consider it possible to compensate for the destruction of more than 2000 ha of high quality habitat? How has the Commission calculated the value of this habitat, which provides the connection between the two last Iberian lynx populations in Spain?

How will the favourable conservation status of a priority species (the Iberian lynx), included in Annexes II and IV of the Habitats Directive, be guaranteed in this project?

Finally, how does the Commission intend to monitor the application of these compensation measures?

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(6 April 2004)

The Commission refers to the reply it gave to the Honourable Member's oral question H-1 20/04 raised during question time at Parliament's March I session (1), and provides the following complementary information.

The compensation measures presented by the Spanish authorities in relation to La Breña II reservoir project are substantial and should outweigh any marginal impacts which may occur. To compensate for the loss of the Iberian lynx habitat, it is proposed to expropriate an area of 2 134 hectares (ha) and actively manage favouring the lynx. The Iberian lynx compensatory measures not only focus on habitat conservation and prey species re-introduction; but also target the problems of interConnectivity between two Iberian lynx subpopulations. For this reason, special measures to improve ecological corridors have been designed. Moreover, the compensation package not only focuses on the Iberian lynx, but on other key species present in the site in order to guarantee the overall coherence of the site.

The proposed compensation measures were drawn up by the promoter with the support of key scientific institutions such as the Biological Research Station (Estación Biológica Doñana) and the Department of Ecology, University of Córdoba. Those compensatory measures have been assessed by the Regional Ministry of Environment of the Government of Andalusia and the Spanish Ministry of Environment through the ‘Iberian Lynx Expert Group’. Both institutions have made a favourable assessment.

The reservoir is located in the south-east of the Natura 2000 site overlapping the site's limits. This situation could be qualified as peripheral in relation to the Natura 2000 site. It will affect 625 ha, representing about 1,05 % of 60 000 ha of the site.

The Commission will make available the list of compensation measures, as well as its opinion on this case and other available environmental information related to this project, in accordance with Articles 4(4) and 4(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 of the Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2001 regarding public access to Parliament, Council and Commission documents (2).

The Commission considers that given the probable effects of the construction of the La Breña II reservoir on the priority species Iberian lynx and the species in Annex I of the Birds Directive (3), and the likely results from the planned compensatory measures contained in the Compensatory Measures Project prepared by the competent authority, it can be concluded that in the long-term, the overall coherence of the Natura 2000 network will not be significantly affected.

The Commission expects to receive yearly monitoring reports on the implementation of the project from the Spanish Government.

(1) Written reply, 9.3.2003.

(2) OJ L 145, 31.5.2001.

(3) Council Directive 79/409/EEC of 2 April 1979 on the conservation of wild birds, OJ L 103, 25.4.1979.