Brussels alerts Spain to the risk of expanding irrigation in Doñana and recalls possible fines

The Commission recalls that the CJEU ruling that obliges to protect the wetland must be complied with

BRUSSELS, 13 Apr. (EUROPE PRESS) -

The European Commission has warned Spain this Thursday of the "adverse" effects for the ecosystem of the Doñana wetland that implies the expansion of irrigation promoted by the Junta de Andalucía --against the warnings of the Government and Brussels-- and has recalled that the ruling of the Court of Justice of the European Union (EU) must be complied with, which obliges to guarantee its protection under the risk of possible fines if it is not complied with.

Commission spokesman Tim McPhie has ensured that an open dialogue is maintained with the Spanish authorities and although he has avoided speculating on what the next steps in the process will be, he has indicated that, if necessary, the Commission will have the possibility of adopting new measures to ensure that Spain complies with the CJEU ruling, including possible monetary sanctions.

This has been pointed out after this Wednesday the Andalusian Parliament approved, with the votes in favor of the Popular Party and Vox, the taking into consideration of the bill to increase irrigation in the wetland.

The community services already warned on March 21 in a letter sent to the Spanish authorities by the director of the Environment of the Community Executive, that if the law promoted by the Junta de Andalucía to regularize irrigation goes ahead, there would be a "blatant violation" of the first conviction.

The spokesman recalled that EU environmental legislation "requires a sustainable use of natural resources, which includes water in particular, and that economic activities are compatible with the conservation of areas in the Natura 2000 network."

In this sense, McPhie has added that the scientific and technical knowledge available to Brussels provide "solid evidence of the adverse effects of the overexploitation of groundwater in the Doñana ecosystem" and it is on this basis that the Court of Justice of The EU declared in June 2021 that Spain had breached the obligation to apply European water regulations and that "it was not preventing the deterioration of protected habitats in several Natura 2000 areas in Doñana".

One year after the 2021 ruling, in July 2022, the Commission sent a letter urging Spain to apply all the necessary measures to comply with the CJEU ruling, which was followed by a new letter as an 'ultimatum ' this past March, while the Commission is now examining the observations submitted by Spain in response to that letter of formal notice.