Brussels, 26/11/2014 (Agence Europe) - Spain is to be referred to the Court of Justice (third stage of the infringement procedure) for persistent failure to comply with EU legislation on the treatment of urban waste water (Directive 91/271/EEC), the European Commission decided on Wednesday 26 November.
The Commission says that Spain is failing to ensure proper treatment of waste water in areas with populations of over 10,000, thereby posing a threat to human health, inland waterways and the marine environment. Since 2003, when the Spanish authorities were sent their first formal warning letter, some problems have been resolved but the slow rate of progress has now led the Commission to refer the case to the Court of Justice. It hopes that in so doing it will bring Spain fully into compliance with a directive which requires all member states to have adequate collection and treatment systems for urban waste water. (AN)