The German Terry Reintke, president of the Greens group in the European Parliament, has visited the Llobregat Delta and committed to pressuring the European Commission to halt the expansion of the El Prat airport.
The German environmental leader Terry Reintke, president of the Greens group in the Eurochamber, toured the Natural Spaces of the Llobregat Delta on Thursday and stated that European regulations provide tools to stop projects that destroy protected habitats, such as the expansion of the El Prat airport. After meeting with the mayor of El Prat de Llobregat, Alba Bou Jordà, Reintke emphasized that the protection of the Delta is an issue that transcends local concerns and has a “European dimension.”
Firm commitment against expansion
Reintke's visit comes just two weeks after Mayor Bou travelled to Brussels to present the municipality's arguments against the expansion of the airport infrastructure. During her time on-site, the president of the Greens was able to witness the current state of the Delta and expressed her support for the municipality's fight. “We must preserve our natural treasures, and in El Prat it is very clear that we must protect this balance by not expanding the airport,” Reintke stated.
The German leader has committed to conveying the situation to European institutions and to pressuring the European Commission to closely monitor the case. “I firmly believe we must talk in Brussels about what is happening here,” she declared, sending a clear message of support for the El Prat City Council's position, which believes that the future of the airport will be decided at the community level.
The mayor trusts in Europe
For her part, Mayor Alba Bou insisted that “what happens with our airport, with our territory, will not be decided anywhere other than in Europe.” Bou recalled that the council has already experienced a previous expansion and knows its consequences on the territory. “The Delta is very devastated,” she warned, noting that a new expansion would worsen the situation.
The mayor explained that during the meeting she was able to share with Reintke the municipality's experience with the previous expansion and the environmental breaches that resulted. Additionally, she reminded that the European Commission has an open letter of formal notice against the Spanish State for failing to comply with the environmental measures committed to at that time. Brussels demands better protection for the Delta and has warned that it will not assess any new expansion project until those deficiencies are corrected.
The El Prat City Council thus reinforces its strategy of seeking support from European institutions to halt any project that jeopardizes protected natural spaces. Reintke's visit represents a political boost to this stance, as the president of the Greens has the capacity to influence the Eurochamber's agenda and the Commission's decisions.
For the residents of the Baix Llobregat region, the news has a direct impact: the future of the airport expansion, which affects air quality, noise, and the conservation of a unique natural space, could be decided in Brussels rather than in local offices. Reintke's visit opens a channel for European pressure that could delay or even halt the project.
Mayor Bou concluded by expressing her confidence that the European Union will act decisively. “Europe must be the guarantor of our environmental rights,” she asserted. Meanwhile, the file opened by Brussels remains active, and any movement by the Spanish Government in favour of the expansion will need to have community approval.
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