The European Commission is taking Greece to court over a failure to ensure that waste water is properly treated. In the EU, member-states need adequate collection and treatment systems for urban waste water, as untreated water poses risks to human health, inland waters and the marine environment. Greece was first warned about this particular case in 2010, concerning areas with a population in the 2000 and 15000 range. Although many of the original concerns have since been addressed, the scale of the remaining problems has now led the Commission to refer the case to the EU Court of Justice.
EU legislation on urban waste water treatment dates back to 1991, with long lead times for the implementation deadlines. Member-states were given time until the end of 2000 to ensure appropriate treatment for waste water from large agglomerations, and until the end of 2005 for discharges from medium-sized agglomerations, discharges to freshwater and estuaries from small agglomerations.
Greece has lagged behind in implementing the legislation, and the latest reports from the Greek authorities show that appropriate treatment facilities are still lacking in five agglomerations (Prosotsani, Doxato, Eleftheroupoli, Galatista and Vagia). For three other areas (Polichronou, Chanioti and Desfina) the Commission took the view that the data submitted is either incomplete, or showed a failure to comply with the appropriate standards.
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