WRITTEN QUESTION E-0732/04 by Ilda Figueiredo (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Dam-building on the international stretch of the river Minho.
Date: 2004-03-11
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU financing, Portugal, application of EU law, environmental impact, environmental law, environmental protection, hydroelectric development

3.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 84 E/861

(2004/C 84 E/0952)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0732/04

by Ilda Figueiredo (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(11 March 2004)

Subject: Dam-building on the international stretch of the river Minho

The Portuguese Water Institute has been asked to consider a proposal for three hydroelectric dams to be
built on the international stretch of the river Minho by Unión Fenosa (a Spanish conglomerate operating in
the electricity sector).

These proposals have arisen in the wake of an earlier case, in 1998, in which the idea of building the Sela
dam on the same river was abandoned because it would not have been feasible, on account of the highly
damaging environmental impact.

The present proposals could likewise have serious adverse environmental effects, as environmentalists, local
councillors, fishermen, and wine-growers fear.

The Commission:

1. Does it know about Unión Fenosa’s plan to build three hydroelectric dams on the river Minho, which

forms a natural border between Portugal and Spain?

2. How does it view the environmental impact of the proposals and what measures will it take to deal

with the concern of the Portuguese public, organisations, and institutions in the region?

3. Will any Community funding be granted for the project?

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(28 April 2004)

The Commission is not aware of the proposals to build dams on the river Minho by the Unión Fenosa.

Under Community law, proposals to construct dams require an environmental impact assessment (EIA) if
they are likely to have significant effects on the environment. If the storage capacity of a dam will exceed
10 million cubic metres, an EIA is mandatory (under Annex I of Council Directive 85/337/EEC of 27 June
1985 on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment (1) as
amended by Council Directive 97/11/EC of 3 March 1997 (2)); in other cases (which come under Annex II
of the same Directive), the competent authority in the Member State must screen the proposal in order to
determine whether significant effects are likely. The EIA involves the provision of information on the
proposed project and its likely effects, as well as consultation with environmental authorities and the
public and, if there are likely to be transboundary effects, with any Member State whose territory is likely
to be affected. The information and the results of the consultations must be taken into account by the
competent authority in the decision-making procedure.

The project
Structural Funds where Portugal is concerned.

to which the Honourable Member refers has not received any co-financing under the

(1) OJ L 175, 5.7.1985.
(2) OJ L 73, 14.3.1997.

(2004/C 84 E/0953)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0738/04

by José García-Margallo y Marfil (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(11 March 2004)

Subject: Regions which are to lose their Structural Fund Objective 1 status

Would the Commission say which regions which currently come under Structural Fund Objective 1 now
have an income exceeding 75 % of average Community GDP and will therefore be excluded from that
Objective in future?