The European Commission is referring Spain to the Court of Justice of the EU over a failure to comply with EU rules on flood prevention under the Floods Directive.

A high-level conference has made the case for more integrated water management in Europe, concluding that reinforced joint efforts in policy, law and investments are necessary to preserve and further improve Europe’s waters.

The European Commission is calling on Ireland and Spain to comply with the requirements of the Floods Directive.

The European Commission is urging Greece to live up to its obligations by bringing its national laws on the assessment and management of flood risks into line with the EU rules on flood protection.

The European Commission has requested the Czech Republic and Poland respectively to bring their national laws on the protection of groundwater against pollution and deterioration into line with the Groundwater Directive and the assessment and management of flood risks into line with the Floods Directive.

A new paper by the European Commission on the implementation of EU water legislation says that while progress has been made there is still work to do.