Brussels, 10/09/2001 (Agence Europe) - A representative of the Blue March against the Spanish hydroelectric programme (see EUROPE of 8 September, p.9) was met on Tuesday by the Heads of Cabinet of European Environment Commissioner Margot Wallström and Regional Policy Commissioner Michel Barnier, who took note of the protestors' grievances which, Ms Wallström's spokesperson said, the Commission was already aware of and would be duly examining, adding that the Directorate General for the Environment had written to the Spanish authorities in July expressing concerns about the environmental impact of the scheme, but they were still waiting for a response, along with an assessment of the environmental impact of the scheme which the Commission encouraged the Spanish to carry out (there is no obligation since only individual projects have to be assessed in order to be eligible for co-funding, Ed). Mr Barnier's spokesperson said that none of the 400 separate projects in the 20-year programme had yet received EU funding, adding that the Commission had no powers to either approve or reject a national hydroelectric plan but did have to examine the implications with regard to EU legislation. At the informal Foreign Ministers' meeting in Genval, Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Piqué told journalists that the Spanish government was determined to go ahead with its hydroelectric programme.