The European Commission announced this Thursday that it is taking Spain before the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) after exhausting the file process for failing to comply with the wastewater collection and treatment standards established by the European directive.
Brussels takes this step after verifying that although some progress has been recorded, the Spanish authorities still have not completely resolved the wastewater deficiencies. European legislation establishes that all urban agglomerations of at least two thousand inhabitants must have collection systems. If this system is not justified due to the excessive cost involved, it can be replaced by individual systems, as long as they achieve the same level of environmental protection.
The case of Spain dates back to 2021, when the European Executive issued a first warning due to the lack of actions to comply with all aspects of European legislation. Now, it justifies its decision by the “general non-compliance” and after verifying that in the case of 29 urban agglomerations, Spain “continues to guarantee that they have wastewater collection systems and that, when the use of individual or other systems is justified suitable systems, the same level of environmental protection is achieved as with a collecting system”.
Regarding another 225 agglomerations, Brussels points out that Spain “continues not to offer the degree of treatment required for the entire polluting load of the agglomerations or does not offer the necessary treatment results with regard to discharges after treatment.” This is why the European Commission emphasizes that infrastructure must be improved, through new physical infrastructure or with the development of existing treatment facilities.
