Index – National – Another infringement procedure has been started against Hungary

The European Commission has launched another infringement procedure against the Hungarian government for endangering the natural values ​​of Lake Neusiedl. The investment was challenged by Olivio Kocsis-Cake, Member of Parliament for dialogue, before the European Commissioner for the Environment. The Hungarian politician asked the commissioner for green affairs to act

The investor does not understand what the problem is

The complete development of the 23 billion hydraulic works of Lake Fertő would be implemented within the framework of the Modern Cities program. The tourist complex is planned in the vicinity of the Fertő – Hanság National Park. In its response to the Index, the state non-profit tourism development organization Sopron-Fert Non, Zrt., Which implements the project, wrote:

According to Kivis-Cake Olivio, the construction will completely destroy the wildlife around the lake and shore. As an example, he cited the construction of the 813-seat marina, which Mészáros és Mészáros Kft. Carried out for HUF 9.3 billion. In a letter to the EU Commissioner for the Environment, the Member of Parliament also drew attention to the following:

The investment is still in the initial phase, but Fertőrákos beach has already been reclassified as a construction site. So far, only the construction of a marina capable of hosting twice the Blue Ribbon field has received the green light.

It is planned to build a two-room, four-star hotel, a sports center, an ecological center, several tennis courts and a line of restaurants on the two-kilometer stretch of coastline. The government allocated HUF 23.2 billion to the state project, which is a priority national economic interest. Which is important because there is no need to consider restrictive regulations, such as the local Building Code, during construction.

The tourist promoter wrote that the project has valid and valid environmental and nature protection permits in accordance with national and international legislation, which was preceded by an environmental impact study on the basis of which the competent authority granted the permits. Additional:

According to the representative of the dialogue, the impact study commissioned by Zrt. It contains a joke and contains contradictory statements. The expert report says

• It is a saline lake in a state close to nature and of very good quality,
• 80% of the Hungarian section of Lake Neusiedl is covered in intact reeds and its existing buildings are in harmony with the landscape.
• the environmental impact of the investment will be globally neutral.

Kocsis-Cake highlighted:

During construction, the impact study foresees the continuous traffic of 300 trucks per day, which in itself will affect the surroundings of the lake, according to the politician. Additionally, people with infectious cancer are also opposed to recreational Disneyland.

The beach next door is always greener.

The state developer justifies the huge investment in Lake Neusiedl by saying that the area, originally artificially created for tourism in the 1960s and 1970s, has also been used for tourism in recent decades, but no significant development has taken place. in the zone. They add:

According to Olivio Kocsis-Cake, the development of the promenade is justified, but the giga tourist center is an exaggeration, rather it must be built according to the nature and capacity of the area. The politician supports the beach, eco-park and sports field plan, but the 100-room hotel, with thousands of parking spaces, is an unrealistic idea in an artificially filled area because the area is not suitable for mass tourism. He said:

According to him, 813 berths, along with cruise ship traffic, will definitely harm the lake’s wildlife. However, he considers the demolition of the stilt houses, which are part of the UNESCO World Heritage, to be completely absurd.

Sopron – Fertő Turistikai Fejlesztő Nonprofit Zrt. He wrote that in the development of the professional concept of the Ecopark and the visitor center related to nature conservation, the Fertő – Hanság National Park took an active role to:

According to them, the investment will create community values ​​that the people who live in the area, the members of the sports organizations that use Fertő Beach and the tourists who come here have been waiting for a long time.

Regarding the infringement procedure, the state Zrt. Said

However, according to the European Commissioner for the Environment, infringement proceedings were launched against Hungary because the government had not transposed the EU directive on the assessment of the effects of public and private projects on the environment.