WRITTEN QUESTION P-0771/04 by Caroline Lucas (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. La Breña II dam — compensation measures.
Date: 2004-03-05
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Spain, environmental impact, hydraulic works, protected area, protected species, protection of animal life, wild mammal

C 84 E/876

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

3.4.2004

eEurope is an umbrella covering a wide range of actions and programmes and one of the most important
in relation to diversity is the eContent programme. This programme supports the increased availability, use
and distribution of European digital content. It aims at improving access for all to high-quality digital
content on the global networks, in a multiplicity of languages. A work programme for the years 2003 and
2004 was adopted by the Commission on 19 December 2002 with an expected budget of EUR 26,5 million
in 2004.

The Commission has also proposed a new programme, eContentplus (2005-2008) which will support the
development of multi-lingual content for innovative, on-line services across the EU. The new programme
focuses on three areas: geographical data, educational material and cultural content, and aims at seeking to
support the combination of information from different systems (cid:1) irrespective of format,
language or
location.

As regards the question on ensuring the benefits of technology to all areas, the Commission has taken
steps to allocate resources to areas potentially missed out. The eEurope 2005 Action Plan indicates the
need for Europe to have widespread availability of broadband access at competitive prices. Although
investment in broadband will mainly come from the private sector, the Action Plan proposes to support
deployment in less favoured areas. To this end, the Commission published a Staff Working Paper giving
‘Guidelines on the criteria and modalities of the use of structural funds in electronic communications’ (1).
The purpose of
these guidelines is to help Member States and regions prepare their electronic
communications infrastructure projects (including broadband) for presentation for European Regional
Development Fund (ERDF) support.

(1) SEC(2003) 895.

(2004/C 84 E/0970)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0771/04

by Caroline Lucas (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

Subject: La Breña II dam (cid:1) compensation measures

(5 March 2004)

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-120/04 raised
during question time at Parliament’s March I session (1), and provides the following complementary
information.

3.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 84 E/877

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.

(2004/C 84 E/0971)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0780/04

by Maurizio Turco (NI) to the Commission

(11 March 2004)

Subject: Violation of religious freedom in the United Kingdom

In view of the following:

(cid:1) Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms;

(cid:1) Articles 10 and 22 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU;

(cid:1) Article 6 of the EU Treaty;

(cid:1) the International Religious Freedom Report for 2003 issued by the US Department of State;