Savannah resources / asmaa
Barroso Lithium Mine
The annulment of the Environmental Impact Declaration obtained to move forward with the Open-foot Lithium Mine in Vila Real is required. “Convention Committee conclusions have consequences beyond the lithium project in Barroso”.
The Committee of the Aarhus Convention concluded that Three Portuguese institutions retired in a “deliberate and unfounded way” information During public participation in the environmental evaluation process of Barroso Mina, in Boticas, after a complaint filed in 2021.
The complaint was filed in 2021 by Montescola Foundationa Spanish Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), and the conclusion of the AARHUS CONVENTION It was released this Wednesday, in a statement.
The United Defense Association of Barroso Covas (UDCB) and Miningwatch Portugal were observing in the process. The three NGOs consider that the committee “corroborates that the environmental impact assessment process did not guarantee the right to public participation” and advocate the cancellation of the Environmental Impact Declaration (day). The open -air lithium mine obtained a conditioned day in 2023 and Savannah expects to start the production of lithium in 2027in the municipality of Boticas, in the district of Vila Real.
The complaint dates back to the public consultation period of the first version of the Environmental Impact Study (EIA) after they were Denies several requests for access to documents linked to the Environmental Impact Assessment Procedure (AIA).
The Aarhus Convention Committee concluded that the Portuguese Environment Agency (WHAT), the Directorate-General for Energy and Geology (Dgeg) and the North Regional Coordination and Development Commission (Ccdr-n) retained “in a deliberate and unfounded manner”.
Among others, the Committee considered that the APA did not respond to the request for environmental information within the period established by the Convention, that the APA and CCDR-N retired environmental information alleging a unfounded refusal criterion and that the DGEg incurred the convention by referring the request to another entity when it was in possession of the requested information.
It also points out that the APA did not guarantee a reasonable period for public participation in the scope of the reformulated EIA (2023) and considers that the Portuguese legislation uses several articles of the Conventionfor example, to maintain a 10 working day consultation period in the case of the reformulated EIA that includes Article 6 of the Convention, recommending changes that allow alignment with the treaty subscribed by the Portuguese State.
The United Nations Economic Commission for the Economic Commission (EEC/UN) on access to information, public participation in the decision -making process and access to justice in matters – usually known as Aarhus Convention – was adopted on June 25, 1998, in the Danish City of Aarhus. In Portugal, the Convention entered into force in September 2003.
“This deliberation is very important because it ends the idea that the criticisms we have done to conduct the evaluation process are unfounded. Infringement of the right to access to information and public participation is a more than sufficient reason to nullify the day and to begin the evaluation process of zero”, He says, cited in the statement, Carla Gomes, from UDCB.
For Nik Völker, from Miningwatch Portugal, “Convention Committee conclusions have consequences beyond the lithium project at Barroso”, Questioning what guarantees“ offer the territories where new environmental assessment processes will take place or may take place.
“These entities are described by their actions and this is bad for everyone. Something has to change, and the annulment of the day would be a strong sign in that direction,” he says.
On behalf of Montescola, Joam Evans has settled with the decision and said this NGO will “work with UDCB and Miningwatch to ensure the protection of Barroso’s world agricultural heritage”, hoping “deliberation will not be thrown under the carpet”.
“We want concrete actions by the Portuguese State (…) The day has to be annulled and we will not rest until we can, ”he says.
The Parish Council of Covas do Barroso began in 2023 a legal action to nullify the day.
