WHY THIS 3rd RUNWAY ?
22ND CHAPTER - POLITICAL ACTIONS AFTER THE THIRD RUNWAY WAS PUT INTO SERVICE
22) When the third runway came into service, the protests from the neighbors of Gavā Mar made many poticians notice the problem and take several political steps in order to solve it
A) What was the political situation when the third runway came into service?
B) What political measures were taken in the Parliament, Congress and Senate?
A) WHAT WAS THE POLITICAL SITUATION WHEN THE THIRD RUNWAY CAME INTO SERVICE?
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CITY COUNCIL OF GAVĀ Government pact: PSC and ICV Mayor: Dídac Pestaña (PSC) |
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CITY COUNCIL OF CASTELLDEFELS Government pact: PSC, CiU and ICV Mayor: Antoni Padilla (PSC) |
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CITY COUNCIL OF EL PRAT DE LLOBREGAT Government pact: ICV and PSC Mayor: Lluís Tejedor (ICV) |
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GENERALITAT DE CATALUNYA (Autonomous Government) Government pact: PSC, ERC and ICV President: Pasqual Maragall(PSC) |
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MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT OF THE GENERALITAT DE CATALUNYA Government pact: PSC, ERC and ICV Minister: Salvador Milà (ICV) |
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MINISTRY OF TERRITORY POLITICS OF THE GENERALITAT DE CATALUNYA Government pact: PSC, ERC and ICV Minister: Joaquim Nadal (PSC) |
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SPANISH GOVERNMENT Government pact: PSOE in a minority President: José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (PSOE) |
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MINISTRY OF 'FOMENTO' (transport and infrastructures) OF THE SPANISH GOVERNMENT Government pact: PSOE in a minority Minister: Magdalena Álvarez(PSOE) |
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MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT OF THE SPANISH GOVERNMENT Government pact: PSOE in a minority Minister: Cristina Narbona (PSOE) |
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In short, the socialist mayors of Gavā and Castelldefels counted on 'friendly' governments in the Generalitat de Catalunya as well as in the State Government in Madrid.
Therefore, it seemed the negotiations to solve the problems caused by the third runway should have been fairly simple. Let us recall that only some years before the Generalitat was ruled by CiU and the State Government by the PP... However reality turned out to be much more complicated...
B) WHAT POLITICAL MEASURES WERE TAKEN IN THE PARLIAMENT, CONGRESS AND SENATE?
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On October 7th, 2004, Josep Llobet (Deputy from PPC in the Parliament of Catalonia and councilman in the City Council of Gavā) formulated a question before the Minister of the Environment of the Catalan Government to be orally answered about the measures taken by his Department in order to avoid the acoustic impact both Gavā Mar and Castelldefels had been suffering since the third runway came into service: |
 - Question from Josep Llobet (file 310-00241/07) |
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On October 28th, 2004, Salvador Milà, Salvador Milā, Minister of the Environment of the Catalan Government (ICV), answered orally that they were also concerned about this matter and that they had passed all the complaints they had received to the State Ministry of the Environment. He assured that they would try to keep the use of the third runway to a minimum. |
 - Answer from Salvador Milā (file 310-00241/07) |
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On October 25th, 2004, Josep Rull (Deputy from CiU in the Parliament of Catalonia) sets forth the request from the socialist mayor of Gavā (Dídac Pestaņa) to stop landings on the third runway over Gavā Mar. He asked the Generalitat what their stance was. |
 - Question from Josep Rull (file 314-03129/07) |
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On November 25th, 2004, Salvador Milà, Minister of the Environment of the Catalan Government (ICV) answered that it was the Spanish Ministry of the Environment who should verify that the 'DIA' was fulfilled, and not the Environment Department of the Generalitat. He explained that his Department already asked the Ministry of the Environment to make the due statements on the matter. |
| He added that a sonometer measurement campaign had been programmed to be carried out in 4 spots of Gavā Mar and that his Department agreed that AENA would study the proposals made by the residents associations of Gavā Mar and Castelldefels in the last 'CSAAB' meeting, as well as have the information from the sonometers installed by AENA at the disposal of the affected city councils. | |
| - Answer from Salvador Milā (file 314-03129/07) |
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On November 22nd, 2004, Jordi Jané (Deputy from CiU in the Spanish Chamber of Deputies) presented the problems posed by the third runway to Gavā Mar and Castelldefels. He asked whether the State Government agreed to lengthen the third runway by 500 m, as requested by the mayors of Gavā and Castelldefels  . He also asked about the steps the Government planned to take in order to minimize acoustic pollution |
| - Question from Jordi Jané (file 184-016080) |
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On February 1st, 2005 the State Government replied that AENA did not consider the possibility of lengthening the third runway since it was located between two protected areas. In addition, the Government considered that AENA had all the permissions required to put the third runway into service and that it complied with everything the 'DIA' envisaged. |
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 - Answer from the State Government (file 184-016080) |
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On November 26th, 2004, Ramon Espadaler (Deputy from CiU in the Parliament of Catalonia) stated that the socialist mayors from Gavā (Dídac Pestaņa) and Castelldefels (Antoni Padilla) requested the third runway to be lengthened. He asked for the opinion of the Environment Department of the Generalitat de Catalunya |
| - Question from Ramon Espadaler (file 314-03689/07) |
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On December 22th, 2004, Salvador Milà, Minister of the Environment (ICV) of the first tripartite Catalan Government anwer in a similar way to the last one answering a question from CiU: it was the Ministry of the Environment of the Spanish Government who had authority over this issue but not his Department. |
| - Answer from Salvador Milā (file 314-03689/07) |
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On November 29th, 2004, Josep Rull (Deputy from CiU in the Parliament of Catalonia) formulated before the Catalan Ministry of Territory Politics the same question his colleague Ramon Espadaler had asked to the Catalan Ministry of the Environment about the possibility of lengthening the third runway. |
| - Question from Josep Rull (file 314-03742/07) |
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El January 25th, 2005, Joaquim Nadal, Minister of Territory Politics (PSC) from the first tripartite Government of the Generalitat replied that the current location of the third runway overcame a difficult modification of the ZEPA zone in the European Commission. |
.jpg){kind=small} - Answer from Joaquim Nadal (file 314-03742/07) |
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On December 10th, 2004, Joan Herrera (Deputy from ICV in the Spanish Chamber of Deputies) set forth the problems posed by the third runway. to Gavā Mar and Castelldefels. He asked whether the requirements stated in the 'DIA' had been fulfilled. He also asked about the steps the Government planned to take and their deadlines. |
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On February 10th, 2005 the Spanish Government answered that AENA wished to comply with everything stated in the 'DIA', as well as with the agreements reached by the 'CSAAB' where aspects concerning the acoustic impact caused by aeronautical operations are discussed and the measures to minimize it are taken. |
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| - Answer from the State Government (file 184-016442) |
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On March 14th, 2006, Josep Rull (Deputy from CiU in the Parliament of Catalonia) stated that that the Catalan Minister of Territory Politics had criticized the quality and efficiency of the third runway of El Prat airport several times. He asked on which arguments the Minister based his criticism. |
| - Question from Josep Rull (file 314-13456/07) |
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On April 7th, 2006, Joaquim Nadal, Catalan Ministry of Territory Politics (PSC) answered by assuring that all the problems would be solved when the new south terminal comes into service. |
 - Answer from Joaquim Nadal (file 314-13456/07) |
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