Invasive alien species: MEPs reach agreement with the Greek Presidency

Plans to prevent the introduction or halt the spread of “invasive alien species” of plants, animals or insects that cause ecological and economic damage were agreed by MEPs and the Greek Presidency of the Council on Wednesday. The draft legislation, which would require EU member states to coordinate their efforts, provides for a ban on species declared to be of “Union concern”.

“Invasive alien species cause damage worth at least €12 billion every year in Europe and many member states already have to spend considerable resources in dealing with them”, said MEP Pavel Poc (S&D, CZ) who is steering the legislation through Parliament.


“Their efforts are very often not effective simply because those species do not respect geographical borders. Cooperation between the member states is therefore crucial. The negotiations were very difficult and we had only limited time to strike a deal. That's why I am happy to say that today's negotiations were successful” he added.

The draft legislation will require EU member states to carry out an analysis of the pathways of introduction and spread of invasive alien species (IAS) and set up surveillance systems and action plans. Official checks at EU borders would also be stepped up. For IAS that are already widespread, member states would have to draw up management plans.

Alien species of “Union concern”

Species deemed to be of “Union concern” would be placed on a list of those that should not be introduced, transported, placed on the market, offered, kept, grown or released into the environment.

The Presidency accepted Parliament’s view that the IAS list should not be capped at only 50 species. Priority on the list would go to IAS which are expected to become a problem and those that cause the most damage. MEPs also inserted provisions for tackling IAS of concern for single member states. Species that are native to a part of the EU but begin to invade others would be tackled through enhanced regional cooperation between member states, facilitated by the European Commission.

Member states would have to decide appropriate penalties for breaches of the legislation. Where authorised by the Commission, they could grant specialized establishments permits to carry out certain commercial activities with IAS.

MEPs also insisted that a dedicated scientific forum should be established to advise on the scientific aspects of enforcing the new rules, and on applying the “polluter pays” principle to the recovery of restoration costs.

Background

According to the European Commission, IAS are a major and growing cause of biodiversity loss and species extinction. They can be vectors of diseases or themselves cause health problems such as asthma, dermatitis and allergies. They can also damage infrastructure and facilities, hamper forestry and cause agricultural losses. IAS cost the EU an estimated €12 billion per year.

Next steps

If endorsed by the committee of member states’ permanent representatives (COREPER) on Friday 7 March, the agreement is to be put to a vote in the Environment Committee on 19 March.
 http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/el/news-room/content/20140304IPR37510/
5/3/14
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• Η ΕΕ κατά των «ειδών-εισβολέων». -Σημαντικότερη απειλή για τη βιοποικιλότητα μετά την ανθρώπινη επέμβαση στο φυσικό περιβάλλον.

• Η ΕΕ κατά των «ειδών-εισβολέων». -Σημαντικότερη απειλή για τη βιοποικιλότητα μετά την ανθρώπινη επέμβαση στο φυσικό περιβάλλον.

• Ψάρι του Αμαζονίου εντοπίστηκε στη λίμνη της Καστοριάς. Όσοι σχεδιάζουν την απελευθέρωση των ψαριών που έχουν στα ενυδρεία θα πρέπει να ενημερώνουν τις αρμόδιες υπηρεσίες.

• Η «εξωγενής» άγρια ζωή απειλεί την Ευρώπη

• ΠΙΡΑΝΧΑΣ ΣΤΟΝ ΕΒΡΟ ΜΕ ΚΑΤΑΓΩΓΗ ΑΠΟ ΤΟΝ... ΑΜΑΖΟΝΙΟ (του Β. Ιγνατιάδη)

• «Μην απελευθερώνετε ψάρια από ενυδρεία στη θάλασσα, καθώς αποτελούν ξενικά είδη και διαταράσσουν την ισορροπία του θαλάσσιου οικοσυστήματος», συμβουλεύουν οι ειδικοί.

  • [1] ΗΠΑ: Καθηγητές είναι οι... καλύτεροι «φίλοι» ειδών-εισβολέων

    
    [2] Εξωτικοί εισβολείς απειλούν τις ελληνικές θάλασσες Την οικολογική ισορροπία στο Αιγαίο και το Ιόνιο διαταράσσουν πάνω από 120 είδη θαλάσσιας χλωρίδας και πανίδας από τον Ατλαντικό και τον Ινδο-Ειρηνικό ωκεανό

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• Νησί Γκουάμ: έρριξαν απ' τον ουρανό 2.000 ψόφια ποντίκια. Τα χρησιμοποίησαν ως «φόλες» για τα φίδια

More than 40 countries sign declaration on fighting with illegal trade in wildlife

LONDON, February 14, (ITAR-TASS/. Officials from 46 countries, including Russia, on Thursday signed an intergovernmental declaration on fighting with illegal trade in wildlife.
The Russian delegation to the conference at Lancaster House where the declaration was signed was led by Natural Resources Minister Vladimir Kirillov.
The document outlines the practical steps towards curbing the illegal trade in wild animals and wildlife artifacts, including rhino horns and elephant tusks. It envisions amendments in the national legislations of signatory countries that will toughen the punishment for poachers, step up cross-border coordination and improve information exchange.

World Wildlife fund says the damage inflicted by poaching annually is estimated at $ 9.83 billion. Illicit production of rhino’s horns jumped up by a factor of 75 in the period of 2007 through 2013.
The horns are a widely used ingredient of traditional Chinese medicine and they surface more and more often on the black markets in Asia.
Apart from this, wildlife artifacts are often purchased by wealthy customers in Asian countries as trophies.
Experts point out the risk of extinction looming over rhinos, elephants and tigers, as tens of thousands of these animals fall victim to poaching every year.
The next conference on prevention of illegal trade in wildlife will be held in Botswana in 2015.
 http://en.itar-tass.com/world/719150?utm_medium=rss20
14/2/14
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Roumanie: une rivière peut faire capoter un projet de mine d'or canadien.

Rosia Montana, Photo:business.financialpost.com

AFP - Un projet canadien de mine d'or dans un village de Transylvanie risque de capoter en raison d'une rivière qui devrait être détournée, ce qu'interdit la législation européenne, a déclaré mardi la ministre roumaine de l'Environnement, Rovana Plumb.
"La directive européenne sur l'eau, transposée dans la législation roumaine, dit qu'on ne peut pas détourner un cours d'eau à moins que ce soit pour un projet d'intérêt public exceptionnel", a déclaré Mme Plumb devant une commission parlementaire chargée du dossier de mine d'or dans le village de Rosia Montana (nord-ouest).
"Nous ne pourrons donc pas continuer la procédure d'évaluation (de la mine, ndlr) en l'absence d'une loi qui dise clairement qu'il s'agit d'un projet d'intérêt public exceptionnel," a-t-elle renchéri.

Le projet soumis au gouvernement roumain par les Canadiens de Gabriel Resources prévoit le détournement de la rivière Corna dont le lit actuel devrait faire place à un gigantesque lac de décantation des déchets miniers.
"Si le projet de mine n'est pas déclaré d'intérêt public, la rivière ne pourra pas être déviée et donc le projet tel qu'il est prévu ne pourra pas se faire", a confirmé à l'AFP l'ex-ministre de l'Environnement Attila Korodi.

"La Corna peut bloquer définitivement le projet de mine", a-t-il martelé.
Après s'être déclaré opposé à cette gigantesque mine d'or pendant la campagne électorale, le gouvernement du Premier ministre Victor Ponta a adopté à la surprise générale en août un projet de loi lui octroyant le statut de "projet d'intérêt public national exceptionnel".
Cela autorise Gabriel Resources à procéder à des expropriations au nom de l'Etat et à bénéficier de dérogations à plusieurs lois.

Mais l'adoption de ce projet a suscité une vague de protestation sans précédent, avec des manifestations de rue réunissant des dizaines de milliers de Roumains depuis plus de trois semaines.
Une commission parlementaire doit rédiger un rapport sur ce projet qui sera soumis au Parlement en novembre.
Le résultat du vote est incertain alors qu'un parti clé de la majorité a annoncé qu'il voterait contre.
Mme Plumb avait déjà déclaré qu'en cas de rejet de ce texte, le projet de Rosia Montana sera enterré.
Gabriel Resources prévoit d'exploiter 300 tonnes d'or et 1.600 tonnes d'argent en utilisant 12.000 tonnes de cyanure par an.
La société promet des centaines d'emplois et des bénéfices économiques pour la Roumanie.

• Mais, selon experts et archéologues, cette mine à ciel ouvert va entraîner la destruction de quatre montagnes et de galeries minières de l'époque romaine.

http://www.france24.com/fr/20130924-roumanie-une-riviere-peut-faire-capoter-projet-mine-dor-canadien
24/9/13

Bansko Residents Rally again for Resort Expansion

Residents of the Bulgarian mountain resort town of Bansko are staging Monday a new protest rally with demands to have permits to build a new ski lift and to expand the ski tracks.
The initiative committee vows to "be on the barricades in order to remind those in power they are expecting a quick solution to the problem with the ski area" in the mountain near their town.
The demonstrators stress the winter holidays are over, but the problems persist, adding the lines for the ski lifts were unprecedented once again during the last weekend. They insist for the very first time their resort is the leader in the sad statistics of having the longest lines of people trying to use the ski lifts and threaten to move the protests to the capital Sofia.
The initiative committee is accusing Bulgarian eco activists of lies and provocations.
The protest Monday is closing once again the road between the town of Razlog and Bansko.

In the last days of 2012, similar rallies closed the same road for three consecutive days. The protests were supported by the Speaker of the Parliament, Tsetska Tsacheva, Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister, Tsvetan Tsvetanov, Deputy Economy Minister in Charge of Tourism, Ivo Marinov, and Lyuben Tatarski, Member of the Parliament from the ruling Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria, GERB, who appeared all in person at the demonstrations.
The proponents of new construction insist it would not cause any environmental harm because the construction will be done only within the now-existing limits of the ski zone. Such decision will lead to eliminating a text in the plan for management of the Pirin National Natural Park.
The Mayor of Bansko, Georgi Ikonomov, who supports the demonstrators, has declared he would not negotiate with the Greens party unless OLAF, the EU anti-fraud office, probes how the environmentalists are using resources and spending money.
Environmentalists have argued that Bansko is already overdeveloped, with excessive amounts of hotel beds and ski runs that have already harmed the nearby Pirin National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
They labeled the presence of senior officials at the rallies a "huge political gaffe." To them the protests are being staged by those in power in order to serve corporate interests.
Bansko's main ski and tourist operator, Yulen, is known to be held by Tseko Minev, who also owns Vitosha Ski and First Investment Bank, chairs the Bulgarian Ski Federation, and is said to be close to Bulgaria's PM Boyko Borisov.
The rallies caused long lines of vehicles during the winter holidays, outraging some of the guests arriving for the extended holiday weekend, while others have supported the demonstrators.
.novinite.com
14/1/13
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Bulgaria Top Cop Blocks Road to Main Winter Resort Bansko

Bulgarian Minister of Interior Tsvetan Tsvetanov participated Sunday in a protest that blocked the entrance to Bulgaria's top winter resort, Bansko.
Tsvetanov expressed support for Bansko residents, who for a thrid day in a row have come out to request an expansion of ski facilities in the resort.
The action of Bulgaria's top cop and Vice-PM is a culmination of a string of high-ranking visits to the protests, which saw Parliament Speaker Tsetska Tsacheva and vice minister for tourism Ivo Marinov also showing up.
"I am convinced that in a very short time, protesters' demands will be satisfied. Their requests will be heard at the very first cabinet sitting in 2013," stated Tsvetanov.
8,000 Bansko residents, organized by mayor Georgi Ikonomov, have submitted to Bulgaria's President Rosen Plevneliev a petition requesting for expansion of facilities in the resort.

Sunday Ikonomov claimed that Plevneliev has already given his support for the petition.
Petitioners have argued that environmentalists and others opposing the further development of Bansko are just bullying authorities and are dooming the region to economic underdevelopment.
Opposers to projects for ski facilities expansion argue that Bansko is already overdeveloped, with local companies requesting further ski runs only to make up for an excessively high number of tourist beds in Bansko made possible by the construction boom in the 00s.
In addition, they have argued that the local ski operator, Yulen, has already overstepped the territory for ski facilities allowed by the state in the Pirin National Park, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Environmentalists have argued that the manifest support of high-ranking statespersons for the protests is out of order and showing that the rallies have been staged in a situation smacking of Vladimir Putin's Russia.
The current protests in Bansko bring to mind rallies in June supporting Bulgaria's new Forestry Act intended to ease development in forest areast, which were supported by ruling GERB party MPs and cabinet ministers.
The legislative amendments were however scrapped, after massive protests against them blocked a major intersection in capital Sofia for several days on.
The amendments to the Forestry Act were known to be sponsored by the Vitosha Ski company, which operates facilities on Vitosha Mountain nearby Sofia.
Both Vitosha Ski and Yulen are known to be controlled by notorious businessman and Bulgarian Ski Federation chair Tseko Minev, who also holds First Investment Bank.
.novinite.com
30/12/12
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• Bulgarian Winter Resorts (Bansko, Borovets and Pamporovo) Expect Greek Visitors Boom 

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