12. Notes the amount of attention which was given to some major petitions received regarding the proposed development of a new airport at Notre Dame-des-Landes, near Nantes; acknowledges that significant contributions were received from petitioners which opposed the scheme on environmental grounds and that a substantial petition was also received from those who favoured the project which gave rise to an intensive debate in Committee at which the French authorities and the Director General for Environment at the Commission participate ...[+++]d alongside the main petitioners; considers that such serious discussions not only improve public awareness and allow citizens to become actively and legitimately involved, but they also permit several controversial features associated with the project that allegedly conflict with EU law to be clarified and remedies identified which allow for the proper respect of European legislation as it should apply in such circumstances;

12. Notes the amount of attention which was given to some major petitions received regarding the proposed development of a new airport at Notre Dame-des-Landes, near Nantes; acknowledges that significant contributions were received from petitioners which opposed the scheme on environmental grounds and that a substantial petition was also received from those who favoured the project which gave rise to an intensive debate in Committee at which the French authorities and the Director General for Environment at the Commission participate ...[+++]d alongside the main petitioners; considers that such serious discussions not only improve public awareness and allow citizens to become actively and legitimately involved, but they also permit several controversial features associated with the project that allegedly conflict with EU law to be clarified and remedies identified which allow for the proper respect of European legislation as it should apply in such circumstances;

As announced in December 2010, the Commission met on 19 January 2011with airport Chief Executive Officer's (CEO) to discuss precisely what happened and what could be done to avoid similar situations in the future.

E. whereas after the presidential elections there are increasing worrying signs of erosion of democracy and pluralism with regard, in particular, to the treatment of some NGOs and individual complaints by journalists about pressure from their editors or owners of their media outlets to cover or not cover certain events, as well as increased and politically motivated activity of Ukraine’s Security Service and political misuse of administrative and judicial system resources; whereas the head of the Kiyv office of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, who had just presented a critical report on Yanukovich’s first 100 days in government, was stopped with no reasons in July at the Kyiv airport ...[+++] for 8 hours and allowed to enter Ukraine only after the intervention of the German embassy,

Mr. James Cherry (President and Chief Executive Officer, Aéroports de Montréal (Dorval and Mirabel))