The European Commission has decided to refer Poland and Malta to the Court of the Justice of the European Union over wastewater treatment failures.

It said both the nations failed to comply with the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive, which requires member states to ensure urban agglomerations, i.e. towns, cities and settlements, properly collect their wastewater and eliminate or reduce all their undesirable effects when they are discharged into water bodies.

The European Green Deal sets a Zero Pollution ambition, with EU legislation, such as the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive, aiming to protect human health and safeguard the natural environment.

According to the Commission, Poland should have been fully compliant since 2015, however, more than 1,000 agglomerations do not have a collection system for their municipal wastewater, which means the wastewater is directly being discharged into rivers, seas or lakes without treatment.

A formal letter was of notice was sent by the Commission to Poland on 26th January 2018, followed by a reasoned opinion on 14th May 2020.

However, it states: “The Commission considers that despite some progress and financial support from EU cohesion policy, efforts by the Polish authorities have to date been unsatisfactory and insufficient and is therefore referring Poland to the Court of Justice of the European Union.”

According to the Commission, Malta should also have been compliant since 31st March 2007, however, the main issue in the country is the performance of the wastewater treatment plants.

The agglomerations have a municipal collecting system in place and the wastewater is being directed to a treatment plant, however, the wastewater exiting the plants do not meet the quality requirements of the directive.

The Commission sent a letter of formal notice to Malta in December 2016, followed by a reasoned opinion in October 2017.

It now states: “Despite some progress, the Maltese authorities have not fully addressed the grievances. The Commission considers that efforts by the Maltese authorities have to date been unsatisfactory and insufficient and is therefore referring Malta to the Court of Justice of the European Union.”

Article source: https://www.energylivenews.com/2022/02/11/poland-and-malta-referred-to-eu-court-over-wastewater-failures/