Commission probed over Airbus site

Date: 22/03/01

THE president of the European Parliament's environment committee is calling on the Commission to explain why it allowed Germany to build an Airbus factory in an ecologically-sensitive area.

Euro MP Caroline Jackson this week asked the EU executive why it chose to ignore the environmental effects of building a final assembly plant for the new Airbus A380 on a wetland site near Hamburg.

Jackson questioned whether an environmental impact assessment was produced and why it was decided that there were "compelling public interest reasons" for allowing the plant to be built.

The MEP also asked whether other areas proposed as compensation can provide alternative habitats for wild birds and animals.

Last March, German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder asked President Romano Prodi to intervene to ensure that the Commission gave its view on the development.

The president of the European Parliament's environment committee is calling on the Commission to explain why it allowed Germany to build its Airbus factory in an ecologically-sensitive area.