Source: European Parliament
According to the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive[1], prior to granting consent for such projects, it is up to Member States to determine whether an EIA is necessary, based on a case-by-case analysis or by setting specific criteria[2]. Such an assessment, if required, will consider the impacts of the projects on cultural heritage and environmental aspects.
The Commission does not verify whether individual building permits comply with the relevant national legislation. Without prejudice to the Commission’s role as guardian of the Treaties, it is primarily the responsibility of the Greek authorities to ensure that projects are developed in full compliance with EU law.
In parallel, the Commission prioritises its enforcement efforts on cases pointing to a systemic breach of EU law[3]. For instance, the Commission ensures that the national legal framework complies with EU legislation by checking the transposition of directives, which it has done for the EIA Directive.
The Commission also prioritises infringements preventing national judicial systems from ensuring effective enforcement of EU law or showing a persistent failure by a Member State to apply EU law correctly, with sufficient evidence of a general practice.
Funding possibilities are available under the EU Cohesion Policy Funds[4],[5]. Under the shared management and subsidiarity principles governing these funds, project selection and implementation fall under the responsibility of the Member State. No financial support has been provided by the Cohesion Policy funds for this project.
There is a relevant reform[6] included in the Greek Recovery and Resilience Plan[7]. There are also funding opportunities through the EU programme for the environment and climate action[8].
- [1] Directive 2011/92/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 2011 on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment, OJ L 26, 28.1.2012, p. 1-21, as amended by Directive 2014/52/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 April 2014, OJ L 124, 25.4.2014, p. 1-18.
- [2] such as the location, size or type of project.
- [3] As set out in the communication of 19 January 2017 (EU law: Better results through better application — C/2016/8600, OJ C 18, 19.1.2017, p. 10-20) and in the communication of 13 October 2022 COM(2022) 518 final — Enforcing EU law for a Europe that delivers.
- [4] https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/funding/cohesion-fund_en
- [5] https://cohesiondata.ec.europa.eu/countries/GR/21-27
- [6] ‘Preparation of Urban Plans in implementation of the urban policy reform’
- [7] https://commission.europa.eu/business-economy-euro/economic-recovery/recovery-and-resilience-facility/country-pages/greeces-recovery-and-resilience-plan_en
- [8] LIFE, https://cinea.ec.europa.eu/programmes/life_en