Question for written answer E-006090/2013 to the Commission Rule 117 Andrea Zanoni (ALDE)

Subject: Breach of Directive 2001/42/EC - failure to carry out a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) on the quarry plan for the Province of

Provincial Council Decision No 15 of 18 March 2002 adopted the quarry plan for the , which was subsequently approved by the Regional Government of Lombardy1.

The Provincial Government of Sondrio set about revising the quarry plan in 20072 and, with a subsequent Provincial Council decision3, in 2008 it began the strategic environmental assessment (SEA) for the revision of the quarry plan – aggregate sector – which is among the sectors established by Directive 2001/42/EC.

Since then, however, no SEA has been carried out nor has an assessment of the agricultural, environmental and landscape features of the areas concerned. However, the Regional Government of has also approved Sondrio’s provincial quarry plan for the sand and gravel sector, which provides for some 15 territorial mining areas (ATEs) covering an area of around 100 hectares, almost entirely on the valley floor.

Almost half of these areas are concentrated near the course of the River Adda, between , and Castello dell’Acqua, in areas of great agricultural, environmental and landscape value.

In justification of the failure to carry out the SEA, the Provincial Government of Sondrio, in a press release dated 2 March 2012, stated that the current quarry plan did not have to undergo the strategic environmental assessment procedure as the second part of Decree-Law No 152 of 3 April 2006 on SEA procedures had only entered into force on 31 July 2007.

This decision was rightly disputed by the Committee for the protection and promotion of the farming area of Bianzone, which is responsible specifically for protecting that area, since Article 13 of Directive 2001/42/EC explicitly lays down that even plans approved after 21 July 2006 are subject to SEAs, even if started before 21 July 2004.

Is the Commission aware of the above situation, which is seriously harming the environmental protection of an entire province that is typified by areas of great agricultural, environmental and landscape value? Does it think it should check as a matter of necessity and urgency whether any EU law is being breached as a result of the failure to carry out an SEA on the quarry plan for the Province of Sondrio?

1 Regional Council Decision No VIII/357 of 20 March 2007, published in the Official Gazette of the Regional Government of Lombardy on 15 May 2007. 2 Provincial Council Decision No 277 of 3 October 2007. 3 Provincial Council Decision No 186 of 16 June 2008.

938009.EN PE 512.694