WRITTEN QUESTION E-1922/03

by María Izquierdo Rojo (PSE),Pedro Aparicio Sánchez (PSE), Juan Izquierdo Collado (PSE)and Fernando Pérez Royo (PSE) to the Commission

(12 June 2003)

Subject: Administrative situation with regard to the Breña II dam

The Guadalquivir basin suffers a serious structural water shortage, which has an enormous adverse socio-economic impact. The lack of security of supply of water for irrigation leads to loss of investment in regions such as Andalucia, which is defined as an Objective 1 region by the European Union.

The Breña II dam is not only backed by economic operators and representatives of civil society linked to the agricultural sector, such as the farmers in the Guadalquivir basin and farmers' organisations (ASAJA, COAG and UPA), but also by workers' trade unions (CC.OO. and UGT), consumers (UCE-UCA), provincial councils in the region (Cordoba, Granada, Jaen and Seville), the Andalucian regional government, the Spanish government itself and the Andalucian Parliament.

All this is because the dam, combined with the current policy of modernising irrigated land and improving the use and management of the scarce water resources available, is the only way of remedying the water shortage in the Guadalquivir basin.

In November 2001 the Spanish Government forwarded to the Commission, in accordance with Council Directive 92/43/EEC(1) on the conservation of natural habitats, the project for the Breña II dam and the plans for compensation and corrective measures, as well as justification for the reasons of overriding public interest making the dam necessary.

As the Commission well knows, the dam in question not only has the support and approval of the environmental authorities of the Spanish Government and the Andalucian regional government, but also the lobby group for the protection of the Iberian lynx, which means that only the European Union's approval is lacking.

In view of the above and the delay in settling this issue, can the Commission say why it has not yet given its final approval for the execution of this water supply project of vital importance for Andalucia? What conditions has the Spanish Government not yet fulfilled? When does the Commission envisage settling the issue once and for all?

(1) OJ L 206, 22.7.1992, p. 7.

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(29 July 2003)

The Commission is aware of the importance of the Breña II dam for the economic and social development of the Andalucia region in addressing the water shortage as well as contributing to overall hydraulic regulation within the Guadalquivir river basin.

The Project, which involves a total eligible cost of EUR 159 757 001 was presented to the Commission Directorate General for Regional Policy (DG REGIO) on 5 October 2001. The Spanish Authorities asked for financing 50 % of the cost through Regional funds. DG REGIO sent the project to the Directorate General for the Environment (DG ENV) on 12 October 2001, and additional information was also sent on 16 April 2002. Since then, exchanges of information and several discussions have taken place between DG REGIO, DG ENV and the Spanish Authorities in order to develop and understand some technical and management issues in need of clarification.

In addition, the Commission would like to underline that the Spanish Authorities have asked the opinion of the Commission under Article 6.4 of Council Directive 92/43/EEC, of 21 May 1992, on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora.

Finally, the Commission is completing the analysis of all the information that has been received in order to ensure that Community environmental legislation is properly applied. Within the near future, the Commission intends to finalise its assessment and to give a reply to the Spanish Authorities.