EU slams plan to expand water use near Spain’s Doñana park

By JOSEPH WILSON
Associated Press

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — The European Union has criticized a plan by lawmakers in southern Spain to expand irrigation rights for farmers near one of Europe’s largest wetlands. The government of the Andalusia region wants to grant water rights to farmers on 1,460 hectares (3,607 acres) of land near the Doñana National Park, which the United Nations cultural agency has designated as a World Heritage site and a biosphere reserve. Andalusia’s parliament is set to vote Wednesday on whether to consider the proposal. Spain’s ecology minister says the EU’s executive commission has warned of “hefty fines” if steps are taken to extract more water from Doñana park. A European court last year scolded Spain for not protecting its ecosystem.