The European Commission is taking France to the EU Court of Justice for not complying with EU legislation on urban waste water treatment.
The Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive requires Member States to ensure that agglomerations properly collect and treat their urban waste water. The EU legislation on urban waste water treatment dates back to 1991, but provided long implementation deadlines. Member States had until the end of 2000 to ensure appropriate treatment for wastewater from large agglomerations, and until the end of 2005 for discharges from medium-sized agglomerations and discharges to freshwater and estuaries from small agglomerations.
France was first warned in 2009 about this particular case, which concerns areas with a population equivalent in a range between 2000 and 15000. Some 17 agglomerations - towns, cities and settlements - are listed as not having waste water treatment up to EU standards.
The list of agglomerations that should have been compliant by 2005 includes Goyave, Bastelica, Borgo Nord, Morne àl'eau, Vincey, Aiguille Château Ville Vieille, Etueffont, Isola, Plombières-les-Bains, Saint-Cere, Saint-Vallier-de-Thiey, Villeneuve, Volx, Braine, Coggia, Corte and Petit-Bourg.
If, by the time the case goes to trial, the Commission receives new information demonstrating that any of the above agglomerations are now in compliance, they will be removed from the list.
In a separate case, the European Commission has also asked Poland to bring its national laws on the protection of groundwater against pollution and deterioration into line with the Groundwater Directive.
The Commission identified shortcomings in Poland's enactment of the legislation and sent a letter of formal notice on 24 November 2011. Poland subsequently notified three acts, which address many identified gaps, but problems remain, including with regard to the assessment of groundwater status. If Poland fails to act within two months, the Commission may take the matter to the Court of Justice.
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