Brussels, 20/11/2015 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission took the decision on Thursday 19 November to move to the next stage of the infringement procedure opened against Poland for persistent failure to comply with the provision of the Water Framework Directive (Directive 2000/60/EC).
The Commission sent Poland a reasoned opinion (second stage of the infringement procedure), enjoining it to transpose this piece of EU legislation fully and correctly into domestic law. The framework directive requires member states to protect and restore all bodies of ground water and surface water to achieve good status by 2015 at the latest.
Since receiving a letter of formal notice in November 2014, the Polish authorities have addressed some shortcomings but a number of issues remain. These include the designation of heavily modified water bodies, classification system for artificial and heavily modified water bodies, large-scale maintenance works carried out on rivers, and exemptions at water body level to the environmental objectives of achieving good status.
Poland will now have two months to take corrective action, failing which the Commission may take the matter to the Court of Justice of the EU. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)