Luxembourg, 21/11/2000 (Agence Europe) - Paris speaks of the "extreme nature" of the European Commission's summary on drinking water quality in Brittany (polluted by nitrate) and refuses to accept the fact that the French plans for fighting against this form of pollution are largely ineffective. This position was expressed during the hearing of both parties, which was held recently at the European Court of Justice.
The European Commission, which instigated the action, affirms that France violated the provision of the 1975 directive on drinking water quality. It maintains that France did not do anything to eradicate the pollution during seventeen years, and that the first large-scale measures were not taken until 1993. The situation is worsening in Brittany, it affirms. The cause of this is the intensive stock farming, which produces considerable quantities of nitrates: 230,000 tonnes of nitrogen per year, that is 131 kg of nitrogen per hectare, the highest in France. It considers that measures taken on the ground are ineffective because they are too sporadic or too general to have an impact on pollution even in the medium term. This is challenged by Paris, which notes a series of plans and programmes all with the aim of reducing nitrate pollution. The ruling will be made during next year.