Julio García-Aquí Europa
The European Commission decided yesterday to take Spain before the Court of Justice of the European Union for non-compliance with the requirements of the Waste Framework Directive.
The Waste Framework Directive requires Member States to take all necessary measures to ensure that waste management does not endanger human health or damage the environment.
Member States must also ensure that waste is disposed of safely and that the original producers of waste treat it themselves or ensure that the treatment is carried out appropriately.
Spain has not adopted the necessary measures to comply with these requirements of the Waste Framework Directive. The persistence of at least 195 illegal landfills that have not yet been closed, sealed and restored since 2008 is causing significant damage to the environment and endangering human health.
It also demonstrates that Spain has not fulfilled its duties of scrutiny, inspection and law enforcement regarding waste dumping. This creates health and environmental risks, which the European Green Deal aims to address.
The Commission sent a formal letter of formal notice to Spain in December 2015, followed by a reasoned opinion in November 2018. Despite some progress, the Spanish authorities have not fully addressed the deficiencies. The Commission considers that the efforts of the Spanish authorities have been insufficient to date and is therefore referring Spain to the Court of Justice of the European Union.
