Brussels, 11/07/2014 (Agence Europe) - Among the raft of infringement proceedings published on Thursday 10 July against EU member states for failure to comply with EU environment rules, four member states have been sent one or more reasoned opinions (the second stage in the infringement proceedings) for failing to apply the rules despite written warnings. The countries now have two months to adjust their legislation to bring it into line with EU rules, failing which the European Commission may decide to take them to the European Court of Justice.
Bulgaria and Latvia are required to take strong, effective and immediate measures to protect their citizens against air pollution from fine particles in suspension (PM10) caused by industry, road transport and domestic heating appliances. Under Directive 2008/50/EC on ambient air quality, member states are required to limit exposure to these particles but, since at least 2007, the inhabitants of six regions and agglomerations in Bulgaria have been exposed to excessively high levels of PM10. Only the Riga area of Latvia is concerned in this case. The two countries were sent warnings in January 2013 but nothing has yet changed.
Germany must take stronger measures to tackle water pollution from nitrates of agricultural origin, which has been getting worse in subterranean and surface water since the most recent figures were communicated by Germany to the Commission on 2012. The Commission accuses Germany of failing to take the extra measures required under EU Directive 91/676/EEC to reduce or prevent water pollution from nitrates, which cause eutrophication of coastal and marine waters in the Baltic Sea.
Finland has been sent three reasoned opinions. The first is over failure to transpose into Finnish law EU legislation to restrict the use of dangerous chemicals in electric and electronic equipment (Directive 2002/95/EC), thus missing the 2 January 2013 deadline. The second case is about the fact that Finland has not yet transposed the updated packaging and waste directive, missing the 13 September 2013 deadline. The third case is about bad transposition of Directive 2006/7/EC on the quality of bathing water which wrongly restricts the scope of the directive. The Commission criticises Finnish rules for using the definition of a beach as a place used by a certain number of bathers on any particular day, ignoring other criteria laid down in the directive, such as infrastructure. The Commission says this runs the danger of depriving bathers of proper protection. (AN)