Brussels, 27/02/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 27 February, the European Commission announced that France had been taken to the European Court of Justice for persistently failing to meet obligations regarding the protection of water from pollution from nitrates used in farming.
The European Commission said France had still not appropriately transposed Directive 91/676/CEE, which is aimed at protecting the quality of water throughout Europe by preventing agricultural nitrates polluting subterranean and surface waters. The directive obliges member states to monitor their water and define water that has been polluted by agricultural nitrates or water that could possibly be polluted by them. It requires member states to designate as nitrate vulnerable zones all known areas of land in their territories which drain into these waters and which contribute to pollution. Member states must also set up appropriate action programmes for these zones, aiming at preventing and reducing such pollution.
Although the Nitrates Directive has been in force since 1991, France has still not designated a number of zones that are vulnerable to nitrates pollution, and it has yet to adopt measures to effectively combat nitrates pollution in these zones. In addition, the legislation and action plans that have been adopted lack precision and have numerous shortcomings, including inadequate closed periods and insufficient limitations for manure and fertilizers application.
The Commission sent a reasoned opinion to France on 26 October 2011. France agreed to amend its legislation, but slow progress and insufficient proposed changes have led the Commission to put further pressure on France so that it tackles the shortcomings more quickly and efficiently.
Implementation of this legislation is essential because excess levels of nitrates can damage freshwaters and the marine environment by promoting excessive growth of algae that chokes other life - a process known as eutrophication. Purifying excess nitrates from drinking water is also a very costly process. In a press release, the Commission emphasises that prevention is better than cure because the purification of excess nitrates present in drinking water is a very expensive process. (AN/transl.fl)