The Greek government has written to the EC in response to a “Reasoned Opinion” from the EC (Final step before taking a case to the European Court of Justice) that gave 15th December as a reply deadline.

It says that it is going to provide 90,000 Euros to the currently non existent National Park Management Agency, towards its 300,000 Euro debts, and that it would provide further funding “soon”. A new Management Agency would “soon” be established and a management plan would be prepared and submitted for approval.

It records that in the total mayhem on the nesting beaches publicly acknowledged by WWF, ARCHELON and Greenpeace, the authorities pursued just 20 cases against law infringement in Summer 2004.

It said that delineation of the “winter wave” line that separates the beaches from private property, and registration of land ownership, essential to considerations of compensation to landowners within the Park, was “nearly complete”, and that this so far indicates that most of the lands around sea turtle nesting areas belong to the State!

What it did not say was that the lady Director of the Land Registry on Zakynthos, responsible for application of the above government investigation, was badly beaten up and hospitalised after signing the resulting official documents. She had previously predicted that 10 years of Court cases would follow, as squatters on government property contest the findings.

The predictable message that new EC Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas, who is Greek, gave to a specially convened meeting of Greek environmental NGOs was that he is not in favour of taking cases to the European Court of Justice, saying that lobbying, and persistence would eventually bring the desired solutions. When it was pointed out to him that 22 years of what he was suggesting had had little effect on Zakynthos, he stated that he was opening an office in Brussels and that everyone was welcome to visit him personally there to work together to try to find solutions.

He also mentioned the 90,000 Euro saying that the Environment Minister had showed him it would be paid by January 15th 2005. As of 25th of January it has not been received into the park bank account.

Recently the obsolete biological waste treatment Plant on the hill above the nesting beaches close to Sekania, the most important loggerhead nesting beach in the Mediterranean, has overflowed, and the beaches and Bay are awash with the effluent. The sea is turned black and dead for 1,500 square metres. God knows what will happen when the 500,000 holidaymakers arrive in a few months time and add their waste to the overburdened, overflowing plant! As for the sea turtles…..

As illustrated article about the effluent spillage which appeared in the Zakynthos newspaper “Zante NewZ”, is available in pdf format at http://www.medasset.org/pdf/zante_newspaper.pdf

MEDASSET