Kathy Sinno appeals for email submissions to Stavros Dimas ahead of a
meeting between Dimas & the Irish Environment Minister. Note that this was
originally sent c.1pm Thursday 12th and emails need to be delivered by
pretty much first light on Friday 13th.

Stiof



[Just in from Kathy Sinnott - Email stravos.dimas@...]

Dear All,

Tomorrow John Gormley, Minister for the Environment will be travelling
to Brussels to meet with Commissioner for Environment Stravos Dimas
about Irish Infringement matters (including Tara).

I have just spoken with Commissioner Dimas' office about Tara.

What is now urgently needed is for everyone to email the Commissioner
about the Tara, M3, Lismullin issue and plead with him to save Tara. We
need as many emails as possible sent to the Commissioner today and no
later than tomorrow morning (also note Brussels is 1 hour ahead of
Ireland).The email of Commissioner Dimas is stravos.dimas@...
If you could copy me with the email that you send to Commissioner Dimas
that would be wonderful.

So please starting emailing and also pass this on to everyone else you
can think of who is interested in the issue. The more emails that are
sent the better.

I attach my speech made in Plenary in Strasbourg today mentioning Tara.

Thank you,

Yours,
Kathy

Kathy Sinnott, MEP for Ireland SouthEmail S

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Kathy Sinnott, MEP for Ireland South

Explanation of Votes- Barsi Pataky Report on Sustainable Mobility

Thursday, 12 July 2007

The report on Sustainable Mobility for our continent, which we have
just voted on, stresses not only the need to build-up a better
infrastructure, but implies that this must be done responsibly. It
points out that Member States must keep an eye on the environmental
impact of improved infrastructure as well as examining transport while
taking into account socio-economic factors vis a vis safety.

This is particularly relevant to my own country, Ireland, where we are
currently battling the need to make the preservation of a national
historic landmark a priority. The Irish authorities are in the process
of destroying one of the most important archaeological sites in Europe
in a bid to build the M3 motorway, improve transport systems in
Ireland. 41 sites which comprise European Heritage, including the
National Monument at Lismullen, will be demolished due to a motorway
that is unnecessarily routed through it. Once these monuments are
destroyed there is no way to replace the culture and heritage that will
be lost with them.

According to the Sustainable Mobility report, future transport policy
will have to optimise each country's own potential to meet the
objectives of clean and efficient transport systems. Ireland can
achieve this but a motorway through Tara is not the answer. Irish
authorities have not considered alternative routes and instead by road
construction, they are destroying significant historical locations,
like the site at Baronstown that was destroyed at 4am on the 4th July
last. Nor have they considered revising an old rail line in the area to
carry commuters to Dublin, reducing road traffic and fuel usage. We
should return to the old methods of transport like the train that used
to operate near Tara.

While I agree with a sustainable Europe and better transport
infrastructure, I firmly believe that we cannot and should not
sacrifice one of our most precious archaeological sites for a misplaced
motorway.