Persistent offender Ireland has been found to have breached EU environmental law once again, this time in relation to the Groundwater Directive in the context of a landfill.

The particular circumstances related to the grant of an authorisation for a municipal landfill, which failed to ensure that harm to the underlying groundwater was prevented. Ireland have had quite a history in recent years of failures in relation to EU waste law.

Greece was also found to be in breach on two counts: first, in relation to the Wild Birds Directive (by failing to provide sufficient Special Protection Areas), and secondly in relation to Urban Waste Water Treatment, by failing to ensure that various areas had been provided with public sewerage systems under the UWWT Directive.

Italy too was condemned for its failings, this time in relation to the S.E.A Directive.

The judgments in the cases above: Commission v Ireland (Case C-248/05); Commission v Hellenic Republic (Case C-334/04); Commission v Italian Republic (Case C-40/07); and Commission v Hellenic Republic (Case C-440/06) are all available via the following link:-

http://curia.europa.eu

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