Brussels, 25/07/2001 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 24 July, the European Commission decided to take measures against several Member States for non-compliance with Community provisions on bathing waters, pollution of water by dangerous substances, drinking water and urban wastewater treatment.
The Commission will be sending a reasoned opinion (second letter of warning) to France as this Member State has not provided annual data concerning the quality of bathing water , while all the other Member States have complied.
Ten Member States are in the Commission's sights for failure to comply with Community directives on drinking water. On one hand, the Commission will send a reasoned opinion to France and Spain for failure to bring water intended for human consumption into line with the norms established by the 1980 directive, amended in 1998. The irregularities that France is reproached with concern the Martinique (mainly for non-respect of standards relating to pesticides) and metropolitan France (where the permitted lead levels have been exceeded). Spain is reproached for exceeding nitrate concentration in Catalonia. The Commission also decided to send a reasoned opinion to several Member States for failure to comply with the 25 December 2000 deadline for transposition of the revised 1998 directive on drinking water into national law. The countries concerned are: France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Denmark, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
Furthermore, Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg and Italy will be receiving Letters of Formal Notice (first warning letters) for not having adopted pollution reduction programmes for 99 dangerous substances. Between 1999 and 2000, the Commission had been successful in obtaining rulings from the Court of Justice of the European Communities condemning these four Member States for this reason. The Court had confirmed that these programmes should be specific, comprehensive and coordinated. Although all the Member States incriminated on Tuesday seem to have made headway in the preparation of the programmes required, they have nonetheless not completed them or submitted them to the Commission. Hence the new action initiated by the latter.
Finally, the European Commission decided to refer France and Belgium to the Court of Justice and to send a reasoned opinion to Greece for non-compliance with the Community directive on urban wastewater treatment. The reason for this is that France has failed to identify enough sensitive areas (bodies of water that are eutrophic) or seriously polluted by wastewater, and did not adequately treat urban wastewater discharges affecting such water. Belgium has been late in designating sensitive areas and in providing appropriate wastewater treatment, including in Brussels. The directive sets December 1998 as a deadline for the treatment of wastewater affecting sensitive areas. The decision taken against Greece concerns the fact that this country has not ensured adequate nutrient removal at the major new treatment plant foreseen for Athens at Psittalia, despite the eutrophic status of the Gulf of Saronikos.