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The
Proact letter is shown below.
You may wish to send it as an individual as well.
Please do so if you have time.
CLICK FOR DIRECT MAIL FORM
email addresses in clear:
Guenter.Verheugen@cec.eu.int, Margot.Wallstrom@cec.eu.int, Patrick.Rock@cec.eu.int (Mr. Patten's assistant for environmental matters - the standard EU address for
Chris Patten, unlike the other commissioners, is invalid!)
copy (bcc) to:
pecheneg@ic.kharkov.ua, seupress@seu.ru, info@proact-campaigns.net
Draft Text (or use your own words or language)
EU DELEGATION TO THE DANUBE DELTA (UKRAINE)
By electronic mail to:
Commissioner Chris Patten
Commissioner Gunther Verheugen
Commissioner Margot Wallström
Dear
Commissioner,
We have just been
informed that an EU delegation is to visit the Danube Delta on the 1st of July to see at first hand the problems
associated with the construction of a shipping lane through the core area of the Danube reserve.
We hope that, as necessary background briefing,
they will have read the report of the joint mission which was carried out by the Man and Biosphere Programme (MaB) of
UNESCO and the Ramsar Secretariat to the Danube Biosphere Reserve and Kyliiske Mouth Ramsar Site in October last year. The
core zone of this protected area covers the most pristine and dynamic part of the large Danube Delta which is internationally
recognized as a transboundary Biosphere Reserve and Ramsar Site, covering nearly 700,000 hectares in Ukraine
and Romania.
There is still time for members of the delegation
to study the report at
http://www.ramsar.org/w.n.ukraine_danube_ram53.htm
The
consequences of the construction activities begun by a German company on behalf of the Ukrainian Ministry of transport in mid May are already impacting on the reserve; sediment stirred up by the dredging is drifting towards to the fish and bird breeding grounds and causing pollution.
The damage done to the spawning fish
has yet to be assessed. Worse environmental harm is feared for other flora and fauna in the core area: it is now the middle
of the breeding season for many birds and animals.
The Ukrainian public
are being kept in the dark as regards to the EU visit, and the government is taking measures to ensure that the visitors are
kept well apart from the most critical areas of the Danube reserve, its staff and other conservation
groups and individuals. It is likely that, as in the past, orchestrated meetings
with a carefully selected public will be organised.
For the visit of
the delegation to be of any value the EU should insist that they at least meet the reserve staff and other conservationists
who have brought the seriousness of the matter to international attention. We therefore urge the
members of the delegation to insist on a visit to the
core area of the Danube
biosphere reserve and request a meeting
with the reserve staff and
other conservationists in order to get a true picture of the situation and its inherent environmental dangers.
I remain,
yours faithfully,
(Name and address)
(already sent from)
David Conlin
Proact International, Marathonallee 16, D-14052 Berlin, Germany
< http://www.proact-campaigns.net/ >
and the following members of the Proact Team
representing
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Brazil, Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay ASIA: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan,
Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand AUSTRALASIA: Australia,
New Zealand EUROPE: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel,
Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Russia, Scotland, Serbia & Montenegro, Slovakia,
Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Wales
A Proact Personal Support Initiative!
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