Brussels, 21/10/2002 (Agence Europe) - The Commission has decided to take steps towards infringement proceedings against several Member States, which despite reminders to toe the line, are still not respecting Community legislation on waste. Infringements are compromising the implementation of waste management policy throughout the Union. They are as follows:
Ecological elimination of vehicles approaching end of their life-cycles: France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy, United Kingdom, Ireland, Greece, Spain and Finland will receive a Reasoned Opinion (second stage of the proceedings in Article 226 of the Treaty) for having failed to transpose Directive 2000/53/EC into national law within the given lime limit (before April 2002).
Used oils: France and Finland will receive a Reasoned Opinion for the persistent failure to meet the obligations of Directive 75/439/EC by not giving priority to the regeneration of used oils and using other elimination methods for these substances (vehicle lubricants, motor oil, gear box oil), which are dangerous to human health and causes of land and soil pollution.
Packing waste: The Netherlands will be taken to the European Court of Justice (third stage of the infringement proceedings) for having failed to rectify the failures in the application of national legislation of Directive 94/62/EC on packing and packing waste. The Commission has criticised Dutch legislation for having deliberately failed to organise sufficient collection, recycling and valorisation of waste flows.
Sewage Sludge used in agriculture: Austria will be taken to the Court of Justice for the incomplete transposition of Directive 86/278/EEC in several Länder (Corinthia, Upper Austria, Salzburg, Styria, Vorarlberg).
Elimination of polychloropbihenyles and polychoroterphenyles (PCB/PCT): Italy will receive a warning letter under the terms of Article 228 of the Treaty, heeding it to comply with a Court decision on non-respect of Directive 96/59/EC (decision of 27 February 2002, case C-2001/046). Under the terms of this decision Italy was charged with failing to adopt and failing to communicate its plans on the decontamination and safe elimination of materials containing PCBs, as well as failing to establish complete inventories on these materials. Italy failed to make good these shortcomings.