By Anastasia Vamvaka
The continuation of the projects for the expansion of the South Cruise Ship Pier and the dredging projects was decided by the Ports Planning and Development Committee (ESAL), after the re-submission of the Master Plan of the PPA together with the new Strategic Environmental Impact Study. Now the last step is the issuance of a Presidential Decree and the filing of new permits by the PPA for the continuation of the project.
ESAL’s decision provoked the reaction of the mayors of Keratsini and Perama, who left the meeting.
In March, the CoE canceled the Master Plan approval framework due to the non-simultaneous approval of the projects with the filing of the Environmental Impact Studies for the investments resulting from the Piraeus port concession contract in 2016 to Cosco Group (Hong Kong) Limited.
At the beginning of June, with a legislative regulation, the Ministry of Shipping clarified the current legal framework for the approval of the Master Plans of the ports, both for the blocked COSCO projects in the PPA and for the upcoming privatizations.
The new regulation deleted from Law n. 2932/2001 the paragraph which said that “the evaluation and approval of the Strategic Environmental Impact Study (SEIA) of the development program and the management study (Master Plan) of the port is not required, if, after its approval , the environmental licensing process is followed”.
Until 12/31/2023, Port Organizations and ports of national importance must draft or update the Development Program and Management Study (Master Plan) for their ports of responsibility.
At the same time, ESAL’s positive opinion is not required, for port expansion or modification projects, during the environmental licensing of port projects which are part of an already approved Development Program and Port Management Study (Master Plan).
Which projects are ongoing?
With the exception of the dredging works and the extension of the wharf, the rest of the works continued as usual in the last months, i.e. the work on the extension to the Car Transfer Station (Herakleous), the underground road connection of the Car Transfer Station with the Former ODDY Area and the improvement of the infrastructure of the Shipyard Repair Zone in Perama.
A brake had been put on the expansion of the southern jetty, the construction of which has been undertaken by the TEKAL company, where it also completed the upgrade of Jetty II, the work on the eastern and western Jetty III, the petroleum jetty. The cruise pier will have a length of approximately 1,510 meters and a variable depth of -19 to -29.50 meters, while the creation of two berths for cruise ships with a length of 390 meters and 350 meters respectively is foreseen.
The reactions
The mayors of Keratsini and Perama left the meeting room. With his announcement, the mayor of Keratsiniou-Drapetsonas, Christos Vrettakos, said that “ESAL and the government are not even implementing the law they voted for, proceeding with a presidential decree that will license Cosco’s projects without any consultation, without an approved EIA like its CoE imposes it”. says Mr. Vrettakos. He noted that “the projects that will burden the lives of the people of the city will not go ahead”, adding that “regardless of the government’s decisions, they will be prevented by the struggles of the residents and by resorting to Justice”.
The mayor of Perama, Yiannis Lagoudakis, issued a similar announcement. “The CoE for ensuring compliance with the environmental protection process decided with its decisions, that in accordance with the European Directive 2001/42 EC and the Union law that prevails over domestic law, the EIA, subject to the completion of the consultation, is approved before the approval of the master plan in order to investigate its effects on the environment. Instead of complying with the European directive and ensuring the necessary compliance of PPA SA with the decisions of the Council of Ministers, the government is attempting to overturn their results by legislating to the contrary and hastily passing a legislative provision stipulating that the SMP and master plan are approved at the same time with the same Presidential Decree”/
Source: Capital
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