“(…) What they wanted to do was to create a wave of people who would think that they are solving something, but in fact it is only solved through the law, because it would be an advisory referendum,” the minister told News Radio on Thursday.
“It would have electrified society,” added S. Gentvilas.
56 members of the Seimas voted for such a proposal submitted by almost half a dozen opposition MPs to hold a referendum with the European Parliament (EP) elections, 25 MPs were once morest and 41 MPs abstained. By another vote, with a majority of one vote, the project was returned to the initiators for improvement.
The representatives of the opposition proposed to ask the voters whether they agree to limit clear cutting of forests and to completely ban them in protected areas.
“It seems to me that the Democratic group has copied the Polish attempt here. Elections were just held in Poland in October, when there were many referendums on stopping immigration and various anti-European issues,” said the minister.
The minister asserted that he believes that the opposition that submitted such a proposal is not doing its job, because it “does not register those proposals, does not carry those laws.”
“Members of the Seimas can submit either the Law on Protected Territories or the Law on Forests today,” said S. Gentvilas.
Several protest actions have been organized in Lithuania due to clear-cutting in protected areas.
Last week, the Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania announced that when approving forest management projects, it is necessary to assess the impact of felling on Natura 2000 territories.
After this court’s decision, the State Forestry Authority announced on Tuesday that it is stopping logging in the territories of the European ecological network “Natura 2000” throughout the country.
At the beginning of October, members of the public reported the felling of trees in the plot of Šimoniai forest, which falls within a valuable natural area protected by law. In response, the Ministry of the Environment suspended two logging permits, and the Special Investigation Service launched a pre-trial investigation.
In November, the ministry said it had halted eight clear-cut sanitary clearcuts that had begun in the Punia šilo genetic reserves, although members of the Baltic Environmental Forum, a non-governmental organization, said the clearcuts had already been completed.
The ministry also claimed to have initiated amendments to the Forest Felling Regulations to more strictly regulate sanitary clear-cutting. They are aimed at preventing the entire area from being cut down following pests have become established in the forest, but only the trees that are no longer alive.
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2024-07-19 11:09:55
