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WWF Urges European Union to Boost Funding for Nature

Structural Funds Regulations 2000-2006 - Environment

Brussels, Belgium, 6 February 1998 - WWF-World Wide Fund for Nature called today for the EU Structural Funds due to be allocated in the 2000-2006 period to set aside 25%, or 50 billion ECU, for environmental protection and improvement. A significant part should be used for the NATURA 2000 network for nature established by the EU Habitat's Directive.

"The European Commission is fond of stating how committed it is to the environment," said Tony Long, Director of the WWF European Policy Office. "Now it should put its money where its mouth is. Otherwise, the Commission's green rhetoric will be shown to be just empty promises."

The boost for environmental funding becomes necessary because environmental safeguards in the current Structural Funds Regulations have had only a mixed success, according to a report published by WWF today.* For example, environmental impact assessments are often done poorly, or not at all, and environmental authorities are involved only marginally in the process of project selection and monitoring.

Recently, WWF has been critical of the Commission decision to grant ECU 200 million for the construction of the Alqueva dam in eastern Portugal which will create the largest artificial lake in Europe. WWF claims that numerous environmental issues have not been properly considered: the water balance of this region cannot carry a project of this size; water supply from neighboring Spain remains uncertain; the project lacks a clear development perspective for the region; the Environmental Impact Study shows massive gaps in the planning; and the lake is situated in a potential NATURA 2000 area.

WWF has established 12 steps**, yardsticks against which it will judge the Commission's proposals for the new Structural Funds Regulations when they emerge next month. The Funds should be used to fulfill the EU's commitment to sustainable development as laid out in the new Amsterdam Treaty. The EU should be more open about the way the funds are used, including opportunities for the public to become involved in project selection and approval.

* Tools for Economic & Social Cohesion in the EU: An Environmental Mid Term Review. WWF Report, English, 64 p.

** 12 Steps Towards a Sustainable EU Cohesion Policy. Policy paper, English/French/German, 16 p.

CONTACT:
Martin Hiller,
WWF European Policy Office,
Tel +32 2 743 8806