EU moves to halt unbridled construction in Spain
Plan for moratorium on projects failing to meet green criteria
From EL PAÍS, Madrid - International Edition 16th January
The European Parliament’s Committee on Petitions says that a moratorium on new urban planning in Spain that does not respect “rigorous” criteria regarding environmental sustainability is essential, and it is also planning to halt other developments already in progress if their water supply is not yet guaranteed. This is the conclusion of a draft document about the impact of extensive building in Spain on the individual rights of European citizens, the environment and Community rights, which has been drawn up by the Danish member of the European Parliament (MEP), Margrete Auken, of the European Green Party. The politician will present the report to the Petitions Committee on Tuesday, where the document will be debated further. If it is approved, a timetable (including a deadline for the presentation of amendments and reports on the issue from other commissions) will be established, before it is debated in a full session of the European Parliament. The main points of Auken’s document, which has been presented three years after the first report from Brussels about uncontrolled urban development was published, are based on three visits that members of the Petitions Committee have made to Spain. Organizations such as Greenpeace have repeatedly attacked the sprawling development that has blighted much of the Spanish coast over recent years. Development in the Valencia region has figured highly in the three sections of the EU report. The members of the Petitions Committee have inspected three different Valencian municipalties where development has been subject to extremely few controls.
