The public consultation on a draft law by the Ministry of Environment closed with high participation (around 700 comments), with two articles drawing the most criticism, according to a report by Kathimerini.
The first concerns the designation of “acceleration zones” for the development of RES projects, and the second the possibility of urban planning in Natura areas, with most participants calling for their removal.
Regarding RES licensing, the bill aims to comply with an EU directive requiring member states to ensure the “rapid promotion of renewable energy sources.” To this end, it provides for the designation of “acceleration zones,” which will not be part of the Natura network and where environmental licensing procedures will not apply.
Natura 2000 areas are to be divided into four zones, from their “core” to the peripheral zone, which is the one currently affected.
This provision has drawn strong criticism from environmental organizations such as WWF and the Hellenic Ornithological Society, which note, among other things, that the directive is being incorporated into Greek law “fragmentarily, belatedly, and with omissions.”
A large number of negative comments were also directed at provisions allowing urban development in parts of Natura areas located next to the boundaries of cities or villages.
In a joint statement, 12 environmental organizations warn that “the Ministry of Environment’s proposal for the expansion of settlements and urban plans into Natura areas opens a Pandora’s box for the degradation of protected areas under the guise of urban planning.”
Source: Καθημερινή
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