Bearing 2 signatures, on behalf of the Prawobrzeża Association, concerning the construction of a container terminal in a Natura 2000 area in Świnoujście, Poland 

The petitioner, representing the Prawobrzeże Association, is concerned that the planned construction by the Maritime Board of the Ports of Szczecin and Świnoujście of a deep-water container terminal within the Świnoujście Natura 2000 area would have irreversible consequences for the environment. The area of the projected project includes, among other things, two kilometres of beach and a nature reserve in the Bay of Pomerania, together with dunes, forest and flora and fauna, forming an ecosystem subject to the Birds Directive and the Habitats Directive. In addition, local residents fear for their safety because of an accumulation of potentially dangerous investments in close proximity to their homes (with a gas terminal for the trans-shipment and regasification of liquefied natural gas, a fuel terminal and trans-shipping of sulphur and coal dust, using primitive methods, in the port just 500 metres away). Residents worry that the construction of the container terminal, where all kinds of goods, including flammable and explosive materials, will be trans-shipped, will increase the risk and the danger to their lives and health. Furthermore, the petitioner stresses the touristic value of this coastal area and the likely irreversible impact of this kind of undertaking at local and cross-border level, as the area is situated near the border with Germany.