Key Benefits:
Draft Resolution No. 69 /XI
Extension of the Public Consultation period of the Friend Barrage
Following a complaint presents to the European Commission, by various associations
environmentalists, against the National Barrages Programme (PNBEPH) and its broadsides
impacts, that European institution commissioned, to an external and independent consultant,
a technical evaluation study of the said Program.
This study was daredevil in relation to the way the PNBEPH underassessed or omitted
key parameters of benchmarking the construction and operation of the new
proposed dams, thus indicating the serious gaps and weaknesses of the Programme, second
what has been soberly made public, specifically in what concerne the
strategic assessment procedures and the commitments made by Portugal in the
scope of the Water Framework Directive and targets to be reached at the level of water quality.
It was the confirmation, justly, of the criticism that the PEV and many environmental associations
Portuguese have done tirelessly to the PNBEPH.
Following this process, the Portuguese State, has been notified by the European Commission, by
form to provide a set of information and clarifications. Second stated by Ms.
Minister of the Environment the Portuguese state's response to that notification followed in the past day
December 15 to Brussels.
For the purpose of information and parliamentary work, within the scope of the duty to monitor the action
of the Government, the Parliamentary Group "The Greens" requested the knowledge of the response provided
by the Portuguese State to the said notification, knowledge such that the Ministry of
Environment and the Territory Planning refused.
The ENP considers this refusal to be serious, impermissible and ineligible, and we understand that it
demonstrates lack of transparency and simultaneously respect for the role scrutinising the
Assembly of the Republic. We judge that interested MPs should have access to this
type of information and not stay at the mercy of any general documents access regime
administrative!
In parallel to this fact, this process of inquiry aggregates information not made available
to the citizens who, to what everything indicates, is very relevant for the analysis of the processes of
environmental impact assessment, not understanding as well as how they continue to
taking place, as if nothing were going on, acts concerning the concretization of the PNBEPH,
fundamentally those that imply knowledge of the whole process on the part of the
interested, as are the acts of public consultation.
Considering that this information is not only relevant for a better weighting of the
PNBEPH, as a whole, as it will also be, for certain, for evaluation of each of its
specific proposals relating to each of the ventures;
Considering also that it is taking place, until February 15, the Public Consultation of the
Environmental Impact Study of the Barrage of the Frigive;
Considering further that Public Consultation is the last opportunity for the citizens and
entities formally pronouncement on the venture into concrete;
Considering, finally, that the result of the European Commission's action of inquiry, thus
how of the content of the Independent Study may come to result fundamental data for the
assessment of the impactes of this dam.
The Assembly of the Republic deliberates, under the constitutional and regimental provisions
applicable, recommend to the Government:
1-That the public consultation regarding the Environmental Impact Assessment of the Barrage of the
Fritness is resumed and extends up to 30 days after the completion of the results of the
research taking place with the European Commission.
2-That it be sent to MPs the answer that the Portuguese state gave in the sequence
of the notification of the European Commission, relating to the PNBEPH.
3-That is provided, to Members, the access to the Independent Study commissioned
by the European Commission, which gave rise to the notification to the Portuguese state.
Assembly of the Republic, February 8, 2010
The Deputies