NGO Letter Water Management EC 2Nd Feb 2011
Mr. Janez Poto čnik, Commissioner, DG Environment On behalf of the NGOs: Mr. Štefan Füle, Commissioner, DG Enlargement Mr Andreas Beckmann Rue de la Loi, 200 WWF DCPO Ottakringerstrasse 114-116 B-1049 Brüssel A-1160 Vienna Mr. Paul Vandoren Mr Tibor Mikuska Head of EU Delegation in Croatia Croatian Society for Bird and Nature Protection Trg žrtava fašizma 6 ć HR-10000 Zagreb Gunduli eva 19a HR -31 000 Osijek Zagreb, Vienna, Radolfzell, Čakovec, Koprivnica, Virovitica, Osijek, Opuzen, 02 February 2011 New river regulation projects along Croatia´s major rivers (Danube, Drava, Mura, Sava, Neretva) contravene EU environmental law and threaten proposed Natura 2000 sites and protected areas According to official information from the Croatian government and statements from different European officials, Croatia has reached the final stage of negotiations on accession to the European Union. As part of this process, Chapter 27 – Environment – has been provisionally closed during the last pre-accession conference in December 2010. Despite this progress, we, the undersigned NGOs, still see a considerable lack of political will and interest of Croatian Water Management Authorities to implement sustainable river management in practice, which is in line with Croatian and EU environmental law and according to international standards. We are very much concerned that new planned river regulation projects along all major rivers in Croatia (see case studies below) are threatening unique natural areas and counteracting efforts of the EU to bring water management in line with EU policy and law. Specifically, we are concerned about the large-scale planned river regulation schemes, sediment extraction and irrigation projects along the Danube, Drava, Mura, Sava and Neretva Rivers.
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