On Thursday 17 November, the European Commission announced that a new stage was entered in infringement procedures against Greece – a country persistently failing to respect EU rules on the assessment and management of flood risks (EU Directive 2007/60/EC).
Despite an earlier warning, Greece has not yet presented the Commission with a map of flood risk areas, missing the 22 March 2016 deadline stipulated in the directive.
A reasoned opinion, the second stage in the infringement proceedings, has been sent to the member state, urging it to amend its legislation to comply with EU law within two months, failing which the Commission may send the country to the European Court of Justice (the third stage).
Flood risk reduction and management is an important task given the increased frequency of serious floods due to climate change and the considerable negative impact on public health, the environment and the economy.
A warning letter was sent to Greece in November 2015. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)