The mayor of El Prat and the president of the Green group in the European Parliament agree to promote measures to halt airport expansion that threatens protected natural spaces.
The president of the Green group in the European Parliament, Terry Reintke, expressed a strong commitment this Friday in El Prat de Llobregat to protect the Natural Spaces of the Llobregat Delta against the local airport expansion project, which would involve the destruction of protected habitats. Reintke, after a meeting with mayor Alba Bou Jordà at the Town Hall, stated that European legislation provides a basis to stop this initiative.
Reintke's visit comes two weeks after the mayor of El Prat travelled to Brussels to present arguments against the airport expansion, the development of which depends on the approval of the European Union. The European Commission has an open letter of formal notice to the Spanish state for environmental protection breaches related to the last expansion and has warned that it will not consider new proposals until these deficiencies are corrected, as Bou Jordà has recalled.
European commitment to preserve the Llobregat Delta
Reintke emphasised that there is a clear will in Europe to preserve natural spaces, and that the Llobregat Delta is a visible example of the need to protect these territories.
"We want to preserve our natural treasures and in El Prat it is clear that we must maintain the balance without expanding the airport or destroying the few natural habitats that remain," stated the German MEP after the meeting.
The president of the Green group in the European Parliament committed to pressuring the European Commission to closely monitor the issue and act in defence of the natural environment. Reintke highlighted the importance of this issue, although it pertains to Catalonia, Barcelona, and Spain, having a clear European dimension and that it is necessary to change the perception of nature as an enemy.
El Prat intensifies its strategy towards the European Union
For her part, mayor Alba Bou Jordà reminded that the final decision on the future of the airport will be made in Europe and that she trusts the community institutions to correctly assess the environmental and territorial impact.
"We have explained the history of our relationship with this infrastructure and the disastrous consequences that a new expansion could bring to an already heavily impacted environment," declared the mayor.
The El Prat City Council maintains an active line of contacts in Brussels to prevent the expansion that would cause irreversible damage to the Llobregat Delta, one of the last protected natural habitats in the area. The joint pressure between local and European representatives increases the visibility of the cause and strengthens the arguments against the project.
The European Commission has already warned that it will not study any new expansion proposal until the environmental breaches resulting from the previous expansion are rectified, which creates a pause in the process and allows time to strengthen environmental defence.
For the residents of El Prat and the Bajo Llobregat region, this European attention represents a tangible hope to conserve natural spaces and avoid airport development that could severely alter their environment and quality of life. The collaboration between the city council and the European Parliament marks a strategic path to protect the territory and preserve environmental balance.
In the coming weeks, new initiatives and meetings are expected to maintain pressure in Brussels and ensure that the future of the airport is not decided without considering the environmental and social value of the Llobregat Delta.
