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Joan Collins THE Balearic MP for the United Left/Green Party alliance, Margalida Rossello, has asked the European Commission, through the Euro MP for the Greens, David Hammerstein, to investigate the extension of Port Adriano (in El Toro, Calvia). In a letter to the Commission, the Balearic MP complained that this extension project will mean an increase of 125 percent in the water space in the port and this, together with the construction of 85 new moorings of between 20 and 60 metres long, would mean, “an occupation of more than 90'000 square metres of coast, increasing the destruction of the coastline which has already been adversely affected by Calvia council's urban projects”. More precisely, Rossello said that a part of the project directly affects the Oceanic Grasslands of Poseidon, which would be entombed by the construction of the Port's esplanades. “It has been calculated that a minimum of 25'000 square metres of this area would be directly or indirectly destroyed by a large extension of this port”, explained Rossello. She also highlighted the fact that the evaluation report on the environmental impact (EIA) recognised that irreversible damage would be done to a part of the Grasslands of Poseidon, or perhaps they would be completely destroyed. Paradoxically, as Rossello complained, the Balearic Government has a project currently in progress called LIFE 2000, for the protection of the Grasslands of Poseidon. This project has as its objective the conservation of the Oceanic Grasslands of Poseidon on the Balearic Islands. “The project for the enlargement of Port Adriano is in direct opposition to the current project LIFE 2000, due to the fact that the extension of the port would destroy a part of this important biological community which the LIFE 2000 project is working to preserve”, commented Rossello in her letter. “Seeing the effects that the execution of this project would have, in both the short and long run, on the habitat and species which the project LIFE 2000 is trying to protect”, Rossello asked Euro MP Hammerstein, “what measures will the Commission take to ensure correct compliance with the community Law on environmental matters?” “It is not possible to receive money from Europe with one hand for the conservation of the Oceanic Grasslands of Poseidon, and then with the other hand to approve the extension of a port which would destroy this valuable eco system”, stressed Rossello, who said that Brussels had already stopped the extension of the port of S'Estanyol.