Draft law for RES, forest clearing
A new multi-bill by the Environment Ministry seeks for the third time to legalize the clearing of forestland, favoring tourist facilities and renewable energy, while also including anti-environmental urban planning regulations.
In fact, despite the opposition of many bodies, it is likely to be submitted in the next few days for a vote in the Parliament. Titled “Provisions for Renewable Energy Sources and the Protection of the Natural and Spatial Environment,” the draft law includes 143 articles, with an important part concerning the further deregulation of the legislation on protected areas.
More specifically, through a series of regulations, the ministry is effectively undermining the completion of special environmental assessments which involve the specification of zones, objectives and management measures for all Natura sites. They were commissioned in March 2019 with a view to completion in 2021.
So far not a single one has been adopted. Greece has been condemned by the European Court of Justice for the lack of adequate protection measures for Natura sites.
