Brussels, 20/11/2013 (Agence Europe) - Greece will be taken to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) for a second time for failing in its obligation to treat and dispose of urban waste water in an adequate manner. On Wednesday 20 November, the European Commission announced that, if the country still fails to comply with the ECJ's 2007 court ruling, it could face massive financial penalties. Greece could be fined a lump sum of €11,514,081 and a daily penalty payment of €47,462 unless six urban areas are equipped with waste collection and treatment systems, an obligation included in Directive 91/271/EEC.
This persistent infringement is a threat to the health of residents, as untreated waste water can be contaminated with harmful bacteria and viruses. Untreated waste water also contains nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorous, which can damage the marine environment by promoting excessive growth of algae (eutrophication).
The Court previously ruled in October 2007 that Greece was failing in its obligation to treat and dispose of urban waste water in an adequate manner, with 23 agglomerations across the country lacking the necessary collection and treatment systems. Progress has been made since then and 17 of the previously non-compliant agglomerations have been upgraded but much remains to be done in the remaining six. Construction works in three agglomerations in eastern Attica, which are co-financed from the EU budget, will not be complete before April 2014 (in Markopoulo), late 2015 (Koropi) and mid-2017 (N. Makri). Construction has begun for a facility in Lefkimmi, Corfu, but two other Attica agglomerations (Artemida and Rafina) have not yet agreed on a location where a facility should be built. Under EU legislation, the final deadline for completing such works was 2005.
The Commission has stated that it is fully aware of the difficult situation currently being experienced in the country but points out that appropriate treatment of urban waste water is essential for a prosperous tourism industry, a key sector in the Greek economy. It therefore believes that, if Greece fails to make this investment, it will incur even greater costs in the future. The main type of waste water treatment envisaged by the directive is biological or “secondary” treatment. However, where agglomerations of over 10,000 inhabitants discharge into water bodies designated as sensitive, more stringent treatment is also needed. Such treatment was required to be in place by 31 December 1998. For agglomerations of more than 15,000 inhabitants not discharging into sensitive areas, the deadline for secondary treatment infrastructure was 31 December 2000. In smaller agglomerations the deadline for compliance was 31 December 2005. (AN/transl.fl)