MEP César Luena (S&D), together with colleagues Hana Jalloul Muro and José Cepeda (both S&D), has asked the European Commission whether planned mining and urban development at the Ambroz lagoons in Madrid comply with EU environmental legislation. The lagoons, an urban wetland hosting over 1,700 species, emerged after renaturalisation of former open-cast mines. The MEPs warn that resumption of sepiolite mining – which they note is not an EU strategic raw material – and nearby construction may harm habitats, species, and ecological values, and that the environmental assessment was conducted before the site had fully recovered ecologically. The Madrid Provincial Public Prosecutor’s Office has already opened investigative proceedings for environmental damage.
The written question, dated 15 July 2026, asks the Commission three specific points: whether the works should be assessed under the Birds, Habitats, and Environmental Impact Assessment Directives; whether actions that could spoil a restored urban wetland are compatible with the ‘no net loss’ objective in Article 8 of the Nature Restoration Regulation; and, citing CJEU case C-301/22 (Sweetman), whether an environmental assessment carried out before ecological recovery meets EU requirements for up-to-date and sufficient information.
The question signals the MEPs' concern that the project may undermine EU nature restoration goals and procedural safeguards. The Commission typically has about six weeks to reply; its answer will indicate whether it sees a potential infringement or considers the national assessment sufficient. The outcome could affect local biodiversity, the mining company's operations, and Madrid's urban planning, while reinforcing or questioning the application of EU environmental law to post-mining restoration sites.