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The President of the Republic enacted today the decree law that establishes the legal provisions concerning the destination to be given to the areas comprised in the public hydro domain, in relation to uses compatible with this situation.

That decision results from the circumstance that this legislation now provides, amongst other circumstances, that only the areas not used for docking facilities and without any relevant environmental value may be specifically withdrawn – and not systematically – from the public hydro domain, which guarantees the preservation of the environment and correct regional planning. It is also provided that any withdrawal shall be subject to the prior opinion of the competent bodies in the areas of the Environment and National Defence.

On the other hand, with reference to the provisions for the use of hydro resources, this decree law includes the guarantees foreseen in the Law on Water and in the Law on Entitlement of Hydro Resources, thus avoiding a systematic recourse to the withdrawal of assets from the public hydro domain and an eventual significant increase in their private use, in detriment of the rights of fruition and of the environmental protection of the littoral and riverside areas.