Question for written answer E-005820/2012 to the Commission Rule 117 Andrea Zanoni (ALDE) Subject: Asphalting of the 'ex Ostiglia' ecological corridor in Padua province The ‘Treviso-Ostiglia’ is a disused railway line running for 130 km through thirty municipalities, five provinces (Treviso, Padua, Vicenza, Verona and Mantua) and two regions (Veneto and Lombardy), and is currently an important green corridor. This corridor is explicitly cited in the Provincial Territorial Coordination Plan (PTCP) for the Province of Padua1, which describes it as one of the main ecological corridors included in the Natura 2000 network of areas that play a key role in the recolonisation of man-made environments. Resolution No 7 of the Padua Provincial Council of 26 January 2011 approved the executive plan for the ‘Reclamation of the former Treviso-Ostiglia military railway to create a cycle and pedestrian path from Piombino Dese to San Giorgio delle Pertiche, passing through the municipalities of Piombino Dese, Trebaseleghe, Loreggia, Camposampiero, Santa Giustina in Colle and San Giorgio delle Pertiche’. After the ‘ex Ostiglia’ reclamation plan was presented, hundreds of citizens, together with the WWF, Lipu and Faunisti Veneti environmental groups, protested strongly against the surfacing of the cycle path with bitumen binder as envisaged by the plan. It is important to point out that, on the stretch of the same ecological corridor that runs through the province of Treviso, a cycle path was created using environmentally friendly methods, namely using crushed Sarone stone as a substrate. The protesters have petitioned the local authorities, pointing out that the creation of the cycle track has necessitated widespread deforestation along the corridor, for example at Silvelle, in the municipality of Trebaseleghe (PD). The asphalting work began a few days ago. Is the Commission aware of this project? Does it accept that asphalting an ecological corridor goes against the principles of protecting biodiversity set out in Directive 92/43/EEC (the ‘Habitats Directive’), in a case where a pedestrian and cycle path could be provided using environmentally friendly methods, as was done in the province of Treviso? 1 Article 19, letter C of the PTCP Technical Standards, approved by Veneto Regional Council Resolution No 4234 of 29/12/2009. 904977.EN PE 491.626.