Brussels, 24/09/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 24 September, the European Commission decided to to send an additional reasoned opinion to Austria as part of the infringements proceedings for incompletely transposing into national law the European rules on the capture and geological storage of carbon dioxide (CCS, Directive 2009/31/EC, known as the CCS Directive).
Austria has decided to make use of the option in the CCS Directive of banning CO2 storage on its territory, but the Commission accuses it of failing to transpose all the non-storage related provisions of the Directive (for example, ensuring safe transportation of captured CO2).
Despite receiving a reasoned opinion on 20 November 2011, the Austrian authorities have not remedied the shortcoming and a new reasoned opinion will now be sent urging them to transpose all of the CCS Directive into Austrian law. The deadline for this was 25 June 2011. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)