The case concerned the monitoring requirements set out in the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (Directive 91/271/EEC).

The court found France to be in breach of Article 15 of the Directive, as by not providing information on the monitoring required in respect of waste discharges and sludges, France had failed to fulfil its obligations under Article 15(4) of the Directive.

Article 15(4) required the relevant information to have been provided by 31 December 1999 for agglomerations having a population equivalent (‘pe’) higher than 10,000 units which discharge their water into recipient waters considered to be sensitive areas.

France had also failed to meet the subsequent deadline set by the Commission in its request of 31 December 1998 for such information.

The case is currently only available in French though should shortly be available in English at the following link.

Action inspires action. Stay ahead of the curve with sustainability and energy newsletters from edie

Subscribe