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FoE Czech Republic, FoE Europe, CEE Bankwatch
Network
January 28, 2003
will the ec vote to destroy a potential
natura 2000 site in the czech republic?
On Wednesday, January 29, representatives
of the European Commission and the Czech
Ministry of Transport will meet to decide
whether the EU will provide EUR 60 million
from its ISPA fund for the construction of
the section of the D8 motorway
(Prague-Dresden) across the Eastern Krusne
Hory in the Czech Republic. A further EUR 400
million may come in the form of a loan from
the European Investment Bank (EIB); the Bank
will make its decision on the project in
February. A 16,2 km long section of the
motorway will pass through the valuable
nature area, cutting in half a proposed
Natura 2000 site. Friends of the Earth and
the CEE Bankwatch Network have been calling
on the Commission and the EIB not to support
this badly designed project.
The motorway has been built in a highly
questionable manner, say the three
organisations. The Czech government built the
non-controversial sections first, thus
increasing pressure to issue construction
permits for the 'missing links', which just
happened to be in valuable natural and
landscape sites. One glaring characteristic
of the environmental impact assessment (EIA)
for the D8 project was the exclusion of
alternatives from the very beginning.
Completely ignored were options with
reasonably long tunnels, options bypassing
the most valuable nature sites, and any
serious mitigation measures. When the
strategic EIA (SEA) for the entire Motorway
Development Scheme came out in favour of
alternatives, the government simply ignored
the report's recommendations.
The Eastern Krusne Hory section of the D8
will, with the exception of two short
tunnels, bisect possible SPA and SAC sites
(habitats of species protected by the EC
Birds and Habitat Directives) which are
proposed to become part of the Natura 2000
network of nature sites of European
importance. "Since the EIB is reluctant to
discuss any individual project with civil
organizations - says Magda Stoczkiewicz CEE
Bankwatch and FoE Europe Accession
coordinator - we are calling on the European
Commission to use its funding power to say no
to such a procedurally and environmentally
deficient project."
If the EU approves funding for the Eastern
Krusne Hory section, the Czech Republic might
end up paying twice. First, the country will
lose an outstanding natural area, and second,
it may end up paying expensive financial
penalties for the harm brought to the Natura
2000 site.
Pavel Pribyl from Friends of the Earth
Czech Republic and CEE Bankwatch Network
comments on the situation: "If the EU rejects
the Czech government's request for funding of
the Eastern Krusne Hory motorway section, it
would not only help the environment, but also
stimulate improvement of the political
culture in the Czech republic. The
authorities would receive a clear message
that such a procedurally defficient project
can not count on EU funds. It is clear that
in the situation like this the Commission's
reputation is at stake. The decision taken
about D8 will prove, whether the protection
of the environment is really one of the EU's
priorities, or it is rather an empty
slogan."
A recently published issue paper about the
EU and EIB's role in the D8 project is
available at:
www.bankwatch.org/issues/meib.html
www.hnutiduha.cz/publikace/infolisty/pdf/D8en.pdf
For further info, please contact:
Pavel Pribyl, FoE CZ, CEE Bankwatch Network
CZ, + 420 603 207 249,
pavel.pribyl@ecn.cz
Vojtech Kotecky, FoE CZ, + 420 604 202 470
vojtech.kotecky@hnutiduha.cz
Magda Stoczkiewicz, FoE Europe, CEE
Bankwatch Network, +31- 652410323
magdas@foeeurope.org
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