The European Commission announced last week that it has initiated an infringement procedure against Spain for deficiencies in municipal waste treatment. The members state has failed to correctly apply the Landfill Directive 1999/31/EC and the Waste Framework Directive 2008/98/EC, according to the Commission.
Specifically, the Brussels institution says that Spain has failed to comply with a 2014 ruling of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) stipulating that waste be treated prior to landfilling in the most appropriate way to reduce negative impacts on the environment and human health (Case C‑323/13).
However, recent figures indicate nearly 13 per cent of the municipal waste collected in Spain was not receiving the required pre-treatment, according to the announcement that the case was being opened.
Furthermore, Spain had not established an integrated and adequate network of waste management installations for mixed municipal waste covering all the landfills throughout the country, said the Commission.
The Spanish government has two months in which to reply to the Commission's letter. If the member state's response is considered unsatisfactory, the Commission may move to the next stage of infringement proceedings by issuing a reasoned opinion.
In early February, the EU has referred Spain to the ECJ in separate proceedings for failing to meet obligations under the Waste Framework Directive (WFD). This case centres on around 200 illegal waste sites in Spain that had not been shut down and remediated.
