Spain could face Court of Justice action for illegal landfills

SPAIN has been issued with an ultimatum by the European Commission for the presence of 1,500 illegal dumps.
This is a violation of European legislation on waste, and officials have warned that if nothing is done to rectify the situation’, the EC could take haul Spain before the Court of Justice of the EU.
As part of the infringement procedure, Brussels reportedly sent a ‘reasoned opinion’ for ‘not meeting its legal obligations in terms of waste management and protection of human health and the environment’.
Countries are obliged to take measures to ensure that waste management is carried out without endangering people or the environment, under the Waste Framework Directive.
In a statement, the EC said that ‘although the information that has been provided to the Commission is incomplete, there is widespread evidence of the existence of a large number of illegal dumps, at least 1,513, pending closure, sealing and regeneration, which is causing a significant degradation of the environment’.