The president of the Junta de AndalucÃa, Juanma Moreno, announced yesterday that next week he will meet with the European Commissioner for the Environment, Virginijus Sinkevicius, to study the situation of the Doñana National Park and his controversial bill that opens the door to the legalization of irrigation in the area and the consequent damage to the largest wetland in Europe.
“What I am going to say to Brussels, in a meeting with the European commissioner next week, is that they transfer to us exactly what they do not agree with, to study and modify it,” said Moreno, who now alleges that it is “a bill†and that, “therefore, it is susceptible to modifications and changesâ€.
The Andalusian leader explained that they are open to any alternative, whether it comes from the Government or the European Commission. “Obviously we are always looking for a point of agreement,” he said in a conciliatory tone after the European warnings. “It is a shame that the nation’s government has never wanted, as the minister herself has stated, to sit around a table to talk about a problem that exists and is a reality,” Moreno reproached.
These statements come just nine days after the start of the processing of this bill of the PP and Vox, after repeated letters and warnings from the European Commission that the text “could contravene community environmental legislation” and that Spain would face sanctions if it does not immediately comply with the 2021 ruling on the protection of wetlands in this national and natural park.
Moreno’s statements are the first in which the Andalusian Junta opens the door for the first time to rectify the bill that has been questioned by the Government and also by the scientific community. The new position of the Andalusian Government occurred the same day that it responded to an official letter to the European Commission in which it is ensured that the regulations “do not pose any threat to compliance with the sentence” of the Court of Justice of the EU (CJUE) “nor for the conservation of natural space”. In this sense, he points out that “the Doñana aquifer is neither touched nor affected.”
In addition, in said letter the Junta alleges that the proposed law “is not an initiative of the Andalusian Government, but of Parliament itself, a reflection of the necessary division of powers that must inspire any democratic system”, despite the fact that the Popular Party has a majority absolute in the Chamber and can take any initiative forward without the support of any other party.
The Minister for the Environment, Ramón Fernández-Pacheco, will attend next week’s meeting with the European Commissioner, and in it the Board intends to “tell Brussels” to “transfer to us the 25 pages of this bill, which It is right now in the Parliament of Andalusia, exactly what it does not agree with, to study and modify it â€, he assured.
The president of the Junta also attacked the central government for using the situation of irrigation in an electoral key a few days before the municipal elections. “Why does Mr. Pedro Sánchez come two hours to Doñana, of course in Falcon and in a caravan of all-terrain vehicles, to take an electoral photo in Doñana?” He asked himself. In addition, he urged him that, if he wants to help solve the matter, put the resources: “This is very simple. Do we want there to be more water in Doñana? More water can be brought to Doñana through surface transfers. Why don’t they do those works that are the responsibility of the State? â€, He raised.
