At least 29,630 citizens and dozens of environmental organisations, call for the withdrawal of the Article 219 of the draft law for the public procurement. According to an announcement, in in just 5 days, 29,630 citizens joined their voices against the unacceptable, as it claims, provision of the bill that is put before the plenary session of the Hellenic Parliament.
Also, following a recommendation by 23 organisations to the Nature 2000 Committee, the state's central scientific advisory body on biodiversity, a communication was issued for the withdrawal of article 219 of the Ministry of Development and Investment's draft law on public procurement.
The environmental organisations, which have already lodged interventions to the government and all MPs, requesting, even at the last minute, withdrawal of the provision which paves the way for fragmentary protection of parts of areas Natura 2000-driven investment projects.
In an open letter, 30 organisations call on final appeal to the Prime Minister to intervene on the withdrawal of Article 219. If the government insists on retaining the provision in the bill, the organisations call on Members of Parliament to vote against it.
As has already been pointed out in communications from the organisations, Article 219
- It is contrary to Article 6 para. 1 of Directive 92/43/EEC, which requires conservation measures to be taken to meet the ecological requirements of the protected habitats and species. The designation of «sub-areas of protection» and their «protective» status on the basis of the implementation of development projects, rather than on the basis of ecological criteria, is clearly contrary to the Directive. With the procedure introduced by Article 219 of the Bill, investment projects and interests will in effect dictate the status of the «sub-area».
- It contradicts the rational way of planning a protected area, which should be based solely on the preservation of valuable, rare or threatened elements of nature.
- It creates ad hoc regimes in «sub-areas» leading to the fragmentation of Natura 2000 sites and their fragmented protection, contrary to the requirements of Directive 92/43/EEC, as interpreted by the EU Court of Justice, for an integrated and systematic formulation of biodiversity conservation measures.
- It conspicuously ignores the fact that Greece has been violating Article 6 of Directive 92/43/EEC on habitats for years, for which our country has been condemned by the EU Court of Justice.
- It undermines the work of the special environmental studies, management plans and presidential decrees that are already underway for all Natura sites in the country, under the supervision of the Ministry of Environment and Energy, with European co-financing.
- It increases the administrative burden as it burdens the competent authorities with a parallel procedure for the approval of studies.
- It introduces an extremely dangerous circumvention of planning law, as it has been shaped even by the recent law 4759/2020 passed by the government in December 2020. According to this law, special protection regimes, such as those of protected areas, are apparently given priority and incorporated into urban plans, not the other way around. The provision that special urban plans will shape the protection measures for Natura sites is a blatant circumvention of the protective status of the country's biodiversity cores.
Article 219 contradicts Greece's commitment to the objectives of the European Green Deal, which places biodiversity conservation at the heart of the European Union's development strategy.
The organisations call on the government, with the responsibility that now obviously rests with the Prime Minister himself, to stop treating the country's natural wealth as a plot of land to be built on and to meet our national obligations under EU law to protect our precious biodiversity.
The environmental organisations:
1. Alcyone,
2. ANIMA,
3. Arion,
4. Arcturus,
5. ARCHELON,
6. Action for Wildlife,
7. Hellenic Society for Environment and Culture,
8. Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature,
9. Hellenic Ornithological Society,
10. Corinthian-Patraikos Gulf Environmental Protection Association «Nereus»,
11. Prespa Protection Society,
12. Tapestry,
13. Citizens« Movement for the Protection of the Aoos River »Protect Aoos",
14. Pelagos Institute of Cetological Research,
15. Ecological Recycling Company,
16. Earth Organization,
17. Federation of Ecological Organizations of Corinthian Gulf «The Alkion»,
18. PANDOIKO,
19. Environmental Initiative of Magnesia,
20. Pindos Environmental,
21. Association “Tulipa Wulimi”,
22. Friends of Nature,
23. ECOCITY,
24. Greenpeace,
25. The Green Tank,
26. iSea,
27th MedINA,
28. MEDASSET,
29th MOm
30. WWF Hellas
