The economic sustainability of the Pontevedra estuary in view of the Spanish Government’s Draft Climate Change and Ecological Transition Act

Question for written answer  E-001498/2021
to the Commission
Rule 138
Susana Solís Pérez (Renew), Adrián Vázquez Lázara (Renew)

Spain is set to receive EUR 140 billion from the NextGenerationEU fund, designed to boost socio-economic recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic and to ‘lay the foundations for a greener, more digital and more resilient Europe’.

However, the Spanish Draft Climate Change and Ecological Transition Act has opted to limit concessions for the use of land and sea areas in the public domain and to do so retroactively. This is particularly relevant in geographical areas of Galicia, such as the Pontevedra estuary, where cuts have been made to concessions granted previously for forty years.

Decisions like these cause legal uncertainty and expose established industrial and economic sectors to the risk of closure, including those that meet all national and European environmental requirements.

In the Pontevedra estuary area in particular, which provides thousands of jobs and generates almost one third of local GDP, it is also one of the main sources of investment.

In light of the above:

• 1.What measures does the Commission intend to take to prevent further strategic industries from closing during the socio-economic recovery in the Member States?
• 2.With regard to the Green Deal, what is the Commission’s view of the legal uncertainty brought about by retroactive legislative amendments that alter the context of sustainable investment?