Brussels, 21/02/2001 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission decided to send a motivates opinion to Spain (second stage in the infringement procedure, under Article 226 of the Treaty) for a persistent failure to fulfil the obligation to respect the requirement of the Directive concerning the assessment of the environmental impact of public and private projects (Directive 85/337/EEC). The infringement noted by the Commission and already signalled to Spain in a letter of formal notice (first stage of the procedure) concerns a discharge of dangerous waste located in Zuazo, close to Bilbao, which has not been the object of an prior assessment in accordance with the Directive's provisions.
In a Communiqué, the Commission underlines that this Directive is a key part of the Community legislation in the environmental sector, as it places the taking into consideration of the potential impact on the environment at the heart of the authorisation process for projects in order to guarantee the prevention or attenuation of their negative effects.