MADRID (AP) 鈥� Spain鈥檚 Prime Minister and the European Union鈥檚 environmental chief on Thursday slammed a plan by right-wing lawmakers to expand water rights for farmland around some of amid a .
The center-right Popular Party and far-right Vox movement first rezoning land around Andalusia's Do帽ana national park in March, and regional lawmakers last week. The bill鈥檚 critics say this would effectively offer an amnesty to farmers already using illegal wells to tap into the Do帽ana aquifer to grow strawberries, blueberries and raspberries for export across Europe.
EU Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevi膷ius warned in a written missive Thursday that the bloc would use 鈥渁ll the means available鈥� to ensure Spain complied with a 2021 European Court of Justice ruling that condemned it for breaching EU rules on excessive water extraction in Do帽ana.
The EU has sent repeated follow-ups to ensure compliance on environmental rules since then, and the approval of irrigation rights for 800 hectares of extra land around the UNESCO World Heritage site could incur a hefty fine.
Spain's center-left Prime Minister Pedro S谩nchez later visited the conservation area, which is home to rare species including the Iberian lynx. S谩nchez urged Andalusian politicians to 鈥済et back on track with European law鈥� and 鈥渟top this outrage." He reminded local lawmakers that Spanish taxpayers would foot the bill for any EU-issued fines, as some view the Do帽ana plan as a way to win farmers' votes ahead of local elections on May 28.
His comments received a swift rebuke from Andalusia's regional leader Juanma Moreno, who said the central government had failed to invest in updating agricultural infrastructure to avoid water leaks. He urged S谩nchez to offer 鈥渕oney, attention and respect" to resolve the situation.
Water levels in reservoirs fed by the Guadalquivir River Basin, where Do帽ana is situated, are currently at 25% of their total capacity due to back-to-back years of elevated temperatures and low rainfall. Farmers in the region have had their water allowance for irrigation amid Andalusia's worst drought in almost three decades.
Spanish conservationists warned this month that half of the nature reserve's lakes have already disappeared, threatening the survival of freshwater turtles native to the Iberian peninsula, along with dragonflies and eels. Images of flamingos stumbling over cracked, dried up mud have shocked many in Spain. The site is also an important transit point for many migratory bird species.
The land around Do帽ana has become a major agricultural center for farmers who in previous decades shifted over from low-water crops like olives and grains to water-thirsty berries to boost revenues.
Farmers demanding water rights are owners of lands that were deemed non-irrigable when in 2004 an agreement was struck to manage farming activity around the reserve. Since then, the berry boom led to an estimated 1,000-2,000 illegal wells popping up nearby, according to studies carried out by environmental group WWF.
Spain's Agriculture Minister Luis Planas bluntly called the irrigation plan "illegal" earlier this week, saying politicians were promising access to water that 鈥渄oes not exist in that area.鈥� The proposal, he added, risked 鈥渟erious reputational damage鈥� for Spain among its export partners, particularly Germany, which buys up a third of Spain's berries.
鈥�(Do帽ana) is our heritage and therefore this government is going to do everything necessary so that this absolutely incomprehensible and absolutely irrational initiative never comes to fruition,鈥� Planas said.
Jennifer O'mahony, The Associated Press
