WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2470/98 by Nuala AHERN Commission decision to defer approval for a section of the proposed Kildare bypass, which may affect the Pollardstown Fen, Ireland
6. 11. 1999 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 320/7 Answer given by Mrs Wulf-Mathies on behalf of the Commission (8 October 1998) To date the only project part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund in the port of Viana do Castelo concerns improved sea access (dredging). The Commission has also part-financed the preliminary surveys for the rail project, the initial draft of the road access project and the environmental impact assessment for the road project. It should be recalled that, for projects with total costs less than ECU 25 million, the national authorities are responsible for checking whether the projects selected for part-financing by the Community meet all the administrative and legal requirements, including compliance with the relevant environmental rules. The Commission can check whether these conditions have been complied with through the monitoring committees for the part-financed programmes. With regard to the potential impact of the above projects on the area’s natural features (fauna, flora and habitats), the provisions of Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (1) apply, in particular Article 6, including appropriate assessment of the implications for the site and study of alternatives given that the area in question is in fact in a site of Community importance proposed by Portugal in 1997 as part of the Natura 2000 network, in accordance with Article 4 of the above Directive. A complaint about these projects was recently submitted to the Commission. The Commission is in the process of examining this complaint to ensure compliance with the conservation aims set out in the above Directive. (1) OJ L 206, 22. 7. 1992. (1999/C 320/009) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2470/98 by Nuala Ahern (V) to the Commission (30 July 1998) Subject: Commission decision to defer approval for a section of the proposed Kildare bypass, which may affect the Pollardstown Fen, Ireland What measures will the Commission now take, having deferred approval for a section of the proposed Kildare bypass, to ensure that the Pollardstown Fen is protected and that the scheme is redesigned? The Fen, a designated Special Area of Conservation under EU legislation, is fed by the Curragh aquifer which also provides water for the Grand Canal and Guinness’s brewery, Ireland. It is the largest and most important gravel aquifer in Ireland. The integrity of the Pollardstown Fen is threatened by the proposed Kildare bypass motorway, as part of the bypass would be installed in a cutting ? three kilometres long and up to six metres deep ? through the Curragh aquifer. Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission (13 October 1998) The Honourable Member’s question discloses an inaccuracy in as much as it assumes that the Commission has deferred approval for a section of the proposed Kildare bypass. The correct position is that, following complaints received in 1998 concerning the possible effects of the bypass on Pollardstown Fen, the Commission contacted the Irish authorities, who confirmed that, before the conclusion of the main contract for the bypass, the results of further investigation into the effects of the projects will be presented. These results are expected in autumn 1998. The Commission will carefully examine these results to see what implications they may have for the project