Prague, June 11 (CTK) – European NGOs are afraid that nature protection may decline as a result of the EC’s plan to check the effect of two EU directives which protect birds and wildlife habitats, respectively, representatives of about 100 NGOs said in Prague yesterday, adding they that want the directives to remain unchanged.
The two directives, valid since 1979 and 1992, respectively, are the basis of European nature protection and the Natura 2000 system protecting the rare and most endangered plant and animal species.
The EC wants to enquire into whether and how the directives are effective. It has not yet said how it plans to change them.
“We are afraid that a revolution in the European nature protection will occur and that the revolution will not be [a change] to the better. The system built since the 1970s may suffer a heavy blow, both in terms of changing the criteria for the establishment of protected nature areas and of the way these areas are protected,” Zdenek Vermouzek, head of the Czech Society for Ornithology, told CTK.
The completion of the Natura 2000 system has been dragging on, he said, adding that the EC has underestimated the issue.
Natura 2000 has been completed in six of the EU’s 28 countries only, he added.
The Czech Environment Ministry said it is quite appropriate that the EC is assessing the effectivity and aims of the EU directives as well as the means Europe has spent on their implementation.
The first step within the assessment process was the EC’s drawing of information from EU member countries by means of questionnaires. After filling out the questionnaire addressed to Prague, the Environment Ministry sent it to the EC in late April, its spokeswoman Petra Roubickova told CTK.
“Ten member countries have been chosen for closer cooperation for the fitness check purpose, but the Czechs are not among those shortlisted,” Roubickova said.
The second phase of the check is the ongoing public Internet discussion, launched by the EC.
The NGOs’ experts have suggested and formulated positions on the issue on the Internet for citizens to sign until July 24.
A total of 213,000 people all over Europe have already joined the initiative with the motto Nature Alert. In the Czech Republic, about 1000 have joined it so far.
The EC is to announce whether it will change the directives in the autumn.
Beleco NGO head Jan Dusek said big corporations want the EC to change the assessment of production and construction impacts on particular nature localities. This would facilitate developers’ plans such as the building of wind power plants in Krusne hory (Ore Mountains), northwest Bohemia, Dusek said.
rtj/dr/kva
