Brussels, 04/06/2010 (Agence Europe) - In the avalanche of infringement procedures published by the European Commission on Thursday 3 June, several relate to failure to comply with European environmental legislation, whether newly opened procedures to give member states a warning of the pursuit of procedures already begun.
Access to geographical information on the environment: five member states (Cyprus, Finland, France, Greece and Luxembourg) are to be referred to the Court of Justice (third stage of the procedure) for persistent failure to complete the transposition of the 2007 directive establishing an Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community (INSPIRE) into their national laws. The deadline for transposition was 5 May 2009, yet, despite several warnings, the five member states have still not fulfilled their obligation to bring their national legislations into line with Community law.
Protection of groundwater against pollution: Belgium will be taken to the Court of Justice for failing to adopt the necessary implementing legislation relating to the groundwater directive (2006/118/EC) and to communicate transposition measures by 19 January 2009.
Air quality: The United Kingdom is to be sent a reasoned opinion (second stage in the procedure) for failing to comply with Directive 2008/50/EC. The Commission says that, in certain areas in the UK, PM10 limit values, the smallest particles and, so, most dangerous to human health, have been exceeded over a prolonged period of time.
Water management: 12 member states (Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Greece, Ireland, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia and Spain) are to receive letters of formal notice (first stage in the procedure) for failing to submit their plans for managing Europe's river basins to the Commission, when this should have been done by 22 December 2009 under the terms of the water framework directive (Directive 2000/60/EC). (A.N./transl.rt)