Press Release. Kathy Sinnott, MEP,
30th. July 2007.
30th. July 2007.
EU Petitions Committee pleads for Tara
Vice President Kathy Sinnott releases Committee's letter to public and demands an end to illegal works.
At the last meeting of the European Parliament's Petitions Committee on July 17th, Vice President Kathy Sinnott MEP requested that Tara be added to the agenda because of material changes in the situation at Tara since the Committees fact finding visit of June 27th.
On June 29th. the EU Commission sent a final warning to Minister Gormley warning him that the EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) on the M3 motorway project was invalid and that the National Monuments Act was out of line with the EU EIA Directive.
The National Monuments Act had been used to allow road construction to continue without a new EIA after the discovery and classification of a major archaeological site at Lismullin. A further important but as yet unclassified heritage complex at Barronstown was destroyed at 4 am on July 4th.
The Petitions Committee considering the legal situation and the potential for destruction of what the Committee clearly saw as European Heritage over the summer decided to send an urgent letter to Environment Commissioner Dimas and to Irish Minister for the Environment John Gormley.
Now that both recipients have had time to receive their letters, MEP Sinnott is circulating it to Tara supporters and now the media.
Kathy Says: "I have held off releasing this document until now so as to give Commissioner Dimas and Minister Gormley time to receive it. This letter clearly shows how seriously the Tara issue has become in the EU.
As Vice President of the Petitions Committee I have been in a position to highlight the issue and have received enormous support for the preservation of the Archaeologically important Tara-Skryne valley especially in light of the findings at Lismullin.
I demand that the government cease all works on this section of the M3 motorway until the EU's pending legal action against Ireland is resolved.
I also urge Minister Gormley, who I know has a great personal concern for Ireland's heritage to make that concern public and join me and the Petitions Committee in forcing the Government to suspend all works around Tara until the legal issues are resolved.
It is completely unacceptable for the government to continue to push through the works and destroy this site so that it will be too late once the case is heard in the Autumn to save Tara. This government must be prevented from destroying an important part of our heritage".
-Ends-
For further information, questions or comments, please contact Kathy on: +353 87 2786 552 (mobile) or +353 21 4888 793 (Cork office)
Related:
Press Release from CtST.
Minister Gormley replies to Marcin Libicki.
Letter to John Gormley from Marcin Libicki.