Envi Committee Delegation to Cyprus Nicosia, 1–4 May 2012
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
COMMITTEE ON THE ENVIRONMENT, PUBLIC HEALTH AND FOOD SAFETY – SECRETARIAT– Brussels, 4 July 2012 ENVI COMMITTEE DELEGATION TO CYPRUS NICOSIA, 1–4 MAY 2012 CONTENTS I. COMPOSITION OF THE DELEGATION II. GENERAL BACKGROUND III. DELEGATION'S ACTIVITIES IV. KEY FINDINGS V. PROGRAMME I. COMPOSITION OF THE DELEGATION The following Members of the European Parliament participated in the delegation to Cyprus: Cristina Gutiérrez-Cortines (EPP) – Chairwoman of the delegation Christa Klaß (EPP) Andrea Zanoni (ALDE) Anna Rosbach (ECR) Moreover, local MEP Eleni Theocharous (EPP) participated in part of the meetings on 3 May. Mr Gábor Lejko (EPP Group advisor), Mr Georgios Amanatidis and Mr Emiliano Imeroni (ENVI Committee Secretariat) accompanied the delegation. Support was provided by Ms Ekaterini Sdraka, Ms Susan Jennifer Fearnside, Ms Marina Pesalis- Diomidis, Ms Daria Tsagaraki (interpreters) and Mr Pascal Godart (technician). II. GENERAL BACKGROUND Cyprus will take over from Denmark the 6-months EU Presidency on 1st July 2012. During this time the country will host the majority of the Union's events and will play a key role in the activities of the European Union. It will be responsible for organising EU meetings, setting the Union's political agenda and ensuring its development, integration and security. The European Parliament's Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety decided to send a delegation of its Members to Cyprus in order to meet the representatives of the Cypriote government, the House of Representatives (Vouli), as well as Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and journalists and see how the country is being prepared for the EU Presidency, what priorities have been chosen and what areas of cooperation will be the most important during the second half of 2012. All meetings took place in the capital of the country, Nicosia, where the executive and legislative bodies have their seat. III. DELEGATION'S ACTIVITIES Wednesday, 2 May 2012 – Meeting with Cypriote NGOs The first meeting of the delegation, with the NGOs of Cyprus, was instrumental to better identify the main issues and areas of relevance concerning both the situation of the environment, public health and food safety in Cyprus and the challenges of the upcoming Presidency. The NGOs drew the Members' attention to the problematic situation regarding the illegal hunting of birds in the country, to issues related to desalination plants, to problems caused by urbanisation and erosion of the island's coasts, to the use of soil and to water availability challenges exacerbated by illegal water abstraction. The delegation Members expressed their points of view on the topics raised and stressed the general problems related to the implementation of EU legislation. – Meeting with Mr Sofoclis Aletraris, Minister of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment The Minister of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment of Cyprus, Mr Sofoclis Aletraris, presented the philosophy and the priorities of the upcoming Presidency in the areas of competence of the ENVI committee, stressing in particular the challenges related to water and to climate change. The Presidency has the intention of expediting much needed transformations and fostering the cooperation of all components of the EU towards responding to citizens' aspirations. Cyprus is approaching the Presidency with engagement but also humility: it does not "aim to direct the wind, but to adjust the sails". The presentation of the (provisional) priorities of the Presidency in the remits of the Ministry included in particular legislation such as the flagship LIFE programme, the 7th Environmental Action Programme, the Environmental Impact Assessment, the mechanism for monitoring and reporting greenhouse gas emissions, the Blueprint for Water and the current review of the list of priority substances in the field of water policy, plus implementation of EU environmental legislation in general and preparation for international conferences, in particular the United Nations Climate Conference in Doha (COP18) and the Convention of Biological Diversity Conference (COP11) in Hyderabad. 2 The ensuing exchange of views with the delegation saw the involvement of several directors of the relevant Ministry departments, in order to better address the Members' questions also at a technical level. Main points of the discussion included: implementation of EU legislation: Cyprus has reached the acquis for more than 200 Regulations, but implementation is a challenge, even if it is facilitated by the country's small size, in particular regarding waste and water legislation; cost of implementation is a problem, as is access to structural funds; water: Cyprus has adopted River Basin Management Plans in July 2011 in accordance with the Water Framework Directive, and is achieving progress in wastewater treatment; water pricing issues are difficult, but the pricing policy aims at reflecting the actual price, at least for drinking water; illegal water abstraction, that causes harm to aquifers, is difficult to counter as government schemes based on rainwater are not always reliable year after year; waste: most waste to be recycled, and hazardous waste, are exported to the EU for processing; there are active installations to produce biomass and energy; energy: Cyprus depends on input of foreign hydrocarbons, but hopes to exploit its own newly found natural gas resources by 2016 and is progressing well in renewable energy production, with the highest ratio of solar energy per capita; land use and coast erosion: Cyprus has an "island plan" that will increase the coordination level for future regional and local development and planning, also for coastal zones; however there is already a very unbalanced development along the island's coasts; illegal bird trapping: this major issue was felt deeply by the delegation and was the subject of discussion also at several subsequent meetings; bird trapping has been illegal for years, and Cyprus has established very steep penalties for offences (up to € 17.000); however the enforcement of the law remains very difficult despite the relevant number of prosecutions: resources for enforcement are not many, and it is difficult to eradicate in a few years a practice that dates back thousands of years. – Visit to the "Amíantos" asbestos mine, organised by the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment On the afternoon of 2 May, a site visit was organised to the "Amíantos" asbestos mine. The mine was in operation over the period 1904-1988, contributing considerably to the island’s economy. The entire area is part of the Troodos state forest, was declared a National Forest Park in 1999 along with the largest part of Troodos forest, and it is part of the Troodos Natura 2000 site. Mining activities ceased in 1988, and restoration works started in 1995. Priority was given to the rather unstable waste heaps, which were considered as potentially dangerous for properties and human lives in villages lying at the foothills of the mine. It is hoped that the whole attempt will be completed by 2025-2030, with a total cost of €20.000.000. A Botanical Garden, in operation since 2010, has been developed at the edge of the mine area, by the Department of Forests. Due to the adverse weather conditions, a visit of the mine area was not possible, so the visit took place at the Visitor Centre for the planned Troodos Geopark, where a presentation of restoration efforts and techniques, mainly focussing on the 3 reintroduction of fertile soil, was given, followed by an exchange of views with the delegation. Thursday, 3 May 2012 – Meeting with Mr Yiannakis Omirou, President of the House of Representatives Mr Yiannakis Omirou, President of the Vouli, welcomed the delegation to the House of Representatives' premises and expressed the will of the House to cooperate with the European Parliament during the Cyprus Presidency, standing together in hard economic times. Mr Omirou stressed the importance of an area of cooperation, stability and peace in the Eastern Mediterranean and pointed out delicate issues regarding the parts of the island not under the effective control of the government of the Republic of Cyprus and the relations with Turkey, including the planned construction of a nuclear power plant in southern Turkey close to the island. – Meeting with Members of the relevant Parliamentary Committees (Agriculture and Natural Resources; Environment; Health Affairs) An extensive exchange of views was held with several Members of the Committees on Agriculture and Natural Resources, on Environment and on Health Affairs of the House of Representatives of Cyprus. Ms Stella Kyriakides, Deputy Chairwoman of the Committee on Health Affairs, described the issues related to the absence of a universal healthcare system in Cyprus, to the implementation of cross-border medical care and to public involvement in health policy. She also expressed the expectation that innovation, access to new pharmaceuticals and healthy aging will be qualifying points of the upcoming Presidency. Mr Yiannakis Gavriel, Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources, called for simplification of EU policies such as the Common Agricultural Policy and environmental policy in order to better face the consequences of climate change, which are already being seen. He stressed the importance of environmentally friendly fishing in Cyprus. Mr Adamos Adamou, Chairman of the Committee on Environment and ex- ENVI MEP, identified in