Valencia to appeal against abolition of water plan

21 June 2004

VALENCIA – The regional government of Valencia is to appeal against the government’s decision to halt the controversial National Water Plan, it was announced Monday.

The Socialist government announced last week it would suspend the plan to take water from the River Ebro in the north and divert it to the arid south of Spain.

The plan, first introduced by the previous conservative government, was criticised by ecologists who claimed it would damage the environment surrounding the river.

Instead, the new government is to open a series of desalinisation plants to produce more water.

But Valencia said Monday it will appeal before the Constitutional Court against the decision, which it claimed was “unconstitutional” because it did not consider the “rights” of regional governments.

The plan would have brought new water supplies to parts of  Valencia, Murcia and Almeria in south-east Spain.

Francisco Camps, president of the Valencia regional government, said it was also considering appealing to the European Court.

Camps claimed that the move by the new Socialist administration was its “first fiasco”.

He said it had taken an “arbitrary and unilateral” which could affect the so-called autonomous regions without consulting these regional administrations.

[Copyright EFE with Expatica]

Subject: Spanish news