Brussels, 20/05/2011 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission decided on Thursday 19 May to move to the next stage in infringement proceedings against a number of member states, which, despite calls to fall into line, continue not to comply with the provisions of EU environment legislation.
France will be taken to court (the third stage in the procedure) for failing to comply with EU air quality limit values for airborne particles known as PM10, as set out in Directive 2008/50/EC. Since the legislation entered into force in 2005, the limit values for PM10 have not been respected in 16 air quality zones across France: Marseille, Toulon, Avignon, Paris and Valenciennes, Dunkirk, Lille, the Nord Pas-de-Calais Territory, Grenoble, Montbéliard/Belfort, Lyon, the rest of the Rhône-Alpes Region, the urbanised coastal area of Alpes-Maritimes, Bordeaux, Réunion and Strasbourg. France has applied for time extensions for meeting the targets but, in the Commission's view, only Strasbourg has met the conditions for an exemption. Despite an earlier reasoned opinion, corrective measures have still not been taken in the other 15 areas.
The Czech Republic will be referred to the EU Court of Justice over its failure to meet the European requirements on biocidal products contained in Directive 2010/5/EU. Despite earlier warnings the Czech Republic has not added acrolein, a substance used in certain biocidal products, to its national list of active substances that are covered by biocides legislation, though the deadline for so doing was 31 August 2010.
A reasoned opinion (the second stage of the procedure) will be sent to Italy for failing to meet its obligation to ensure proper treatment of waste water from agglomerations with more than 10,000 inhabitants discharged into sensitive areas (infringement of Directive 91/271/EEC). At least 143 towns throughout Italy are still not connected to a suitable sewage system, lack secondary treatment facilities and/or the capacity to manage variations in the waste water load. Progress has been made but, despite earlier warnings, Italy still fails to comply with the requirements, 13 years after the deadline. (A.N./transl.rt)