Brussels, 15/04/2003 (Agence Europe) - The Commission has decided to initiate infringement procedure against France, Spain, Ireland and Greece, for not having provided the information requested for determining whether or not they correctly implement European legislation in the field of the environment. Given the complaints filed examined by the Commission, these countries are suspected of infringing Community law. In 2002, they received a letter of formal notice (first stage of procedure under Article 226 of the Treaty) but did not answer. A second letter of formal notice was therefore sent to them, summoning them to provide the Commission with information needed in order to establish whether or not the complaints were founded. If no satisfactory response is forthcoming in the two months after receipt of the formal notice, these Member States will receive a reasoned opinion (second stage in the procedure) for failure to cooperate with the Commission. Article 10 of the Treaty stipulates that Member States must cooperate actively with the Commission in achieving the goals set out in the Treaty.
The information requested for each of the countries concerned was:
France: - Information on how it has met the obligations of Community legislation on conservation of the natural environment in the project for the port in the Loire estuary, designated as a special protection zone under the Wild Birds Habitat.
Spain: - Information concerning: 1) the assessment of potential impact of a hydro-electric project in the water basin of Ulla in Galicia on a site designated as a protected area under the Habitats Directive; 2) the hunting regulation in the province of Orense in order to determine whether the hunting season for the Cotumix cotumix is conform to the Wild Birds Directive; 3) application of the directive on environmental impact assessment for an urban rehabilitation project in Toledo; 4) respect of the requirements of the European legislation on conservation of the habitat in various project located in a special protection area in Fuerteventura (Canary Islands).
Greece: - Information on the specific measures adopted to protect the natural environment, in Crete, of a species of bird of prey (Eleonora's falcon).
Ireland: - Information concerning: 1) implementation of the directives on subsurface waters, waste management and dangerous waste in the case of industrial installations in Fermoy (Cork County); 2) the implementation of the regulation on crossborder waste transfer; 3) respect of the directives on "dangerous substances" and "habitats" when hydrocarbons are dumped in the Poolberg peninsula (Dublin); 4) implementation of the framework directive on waste in the case of a waste treatment installation in Ballysimon (Limerick County); and 5) the taking into account, in the context of a project to upgrade a marina, of the combined effect of new improvements on the lake Lough Ree, as the Habitats Directive requires.