# C_2006331EN.01000601.xml

| 30.12.2006 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | C 331/6 |
| ---------- | -- | -------------------------------------- | ------- |

---

Judgment of the Court (Second Chamber) of 23 November 2006 — Commission of the European Communities v Italian Republic.

(Case C-486/04)( 1 )

(Failure of a Member State to fulfil obligations - Assessment of the effects of certain projects on the environment - Waste recovery - Installation for the production of electricity by the incineration of combustible materials derived from waste and biomass in Massafra (Taranto) - Directives 75/442/EEC and 85/337/EEC)

(2006/C 331/09)

Language of the case: Italian

Parties

Applicant: Commission of the European Communities (represented by: M. van Beek, Agent, A. Capobianco and F. Louis, lawyers)

Defendant: Italian Republic (represented by: I.M. Braguglia, agent, M. Fiorilli and G. Fiengo, lawyers)

Re:

Failure of a Member State to fulfil obligations — Article 2(1) and Article 4(1), (2) and (3) of Council Directive 85/337/EEC of 27 June 1985 on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment (OJ 1985 L 175, p. 40), as amended by Council Directive 97/11/EC of 3 March 1997 (OJ 1997 L 73, p. 5) — Installation for the production of electricity by the incineration of combustible material derived from waste and biomass at Massafra (Taranto)

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:

| 1. | Declares that
—
by exempting from the environmental impact assessment procedure the Massafra installation for the incineration of combustible materials derived from waste and biomass, with a capacity exceeding 100 tonnes per day, covered by point 10 of Annex I to Council Directive 85/337/EEC of 27 June 1985 on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment, as amended by Council Directive 97/11/EC of 3 March 1997, —
by adopting Article 3(1) of the Decree of the President of the Council of Ministers of 3 September 1999, entitled ‘Policy and coordination measure amending and completing the earlier policy and coordination measure for the implementation of Article 40(1) of Law No 146 of 22 February 1994 concerning provisions relating to the assessment of environmental impact’, amending Annex A(i) and (l) to the Decree of the President of the Republic of 12 April 1996, entitled ‘Policy and coordination measure for the implementation of Article 40(1) of Law No 146 of 22 February 1994 concerning provisions relating to the assessment of environmental impact’, allowing projects for the recovery of hazardous and non-hazardous waste with a capacity exceeding 100 tonnes per day covered by Annex I to Council Directive 85/337, as amended by Council Directive 97/11, to avoid the environmental impact assessment procedure provided for in Articles 2(1) and 4(1) of that directive, and —
by adopting Article 3(1) of the Decree of the President of the Council of Ministers of 3 September 1999, laying down, for the purposes of determining whether a project covered by Annex II to Directive 85/337, as amended by Directive 97/11, must be subject to an environmental impact assessment, a criterion which is inappropriate in that it may exclude projects which have a significant effect on the environment from that assessment, the Italian Republic has failed to fulfil its obligations under Articles 2(1) and 4(1), (2) and (3) of that directive; | — | by exempting from the environmental impact assessment procedure the Massafra installation for the incineration of combustible materials derived from waste and biomass, with a capacity exceeding 100 tonnes per day, covered by point 10 of Annex I to Council Directive 85/337/EEC of 27 June 1985 on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment, as amended by Council Directive 97/11/EC of 3 March 1997, | — | by adopting Article 3(1) of the Decree of the President of the Council of Ministers of 3 September 1999, entitled ‘Policy and coordination measure amending and completing the earlier policy and coordination measure for the implementation of Article 40(1) of Law No 146 of 22 February 1994 concerning provisions relating to the assessment of environmental impact’, amending Annex A(i) and (l) to the Decree of the President of the Republic of 12 April 1996, entitled ‘Policy and coordination measure for the implementation of Article 40(1) of Law No 146 of 22 February 1994 concerning provisions relating to the assessment of environmental impact’, allowing projects for the recovery of hazardous and non-hazardous waste with a capacity exceeding 100 tonnes per day covered by Annex I to Council Directive 85/337, as amended by Council Directive 97/11, to avoid the environmental impact assessment procedure provided for in Articles 2(1) and 4(1) of that directive, and | — | by adopting Article 3(1) of the Decree of the President of the Council of Ministers of 3 September 1999, laying down, for the purposes of determining whether a project covered by Annex II to Directive 85/337, as amended by Directive 97/11, must be subject to an environmental impact assessment, a criterion which is inappropriate in that it may exclude projects which have a significant effect on the environment from that assessment, |
| -- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | - | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | - | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | - | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| — | by exempting from the environmental impact assessment procedure the Massafra installation for the incineration of combustible materials derived from waste and biomass, with a capacity exceeding 100 tonnes per day, covered by point 10 of Annex I to Council Directive 85/337/EEC of 27 June 1985 on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment, as amended by Council Directive 97/11/EC of 3 March 1997, | | | | | | |
| — | by adopting Article 3(1) of the Decree of the President of the Council of Ministers of 3 September 1999, entitled ‘Policy and coordination measure amending and completing the earlier policy and coordination measure for the implementation of Article 40(1) of Law No 146 of 22 February 1994 concerning provisions relating to the assessment of environmental impact’, amending Annex A(i) and (l) to the Decree of the President of the Republic of 12 April 1996, entitled ‘Policy and coordination measure for the implementation of Article 40(1) of Law No 146 of 22 February 1994 concerning provisions relating to the assessment of environmental impact’, allowing projects for the recovery of hazardous and non-hazardous waste with a capacity exceeding 100 tonnes per day covered by Annex I to Council Directive 85/337, as amended by Council Directive 97/11, to avoid the environmental impact assessment procedure provided for in Articles 2(1) and 4(1) of that directive, and | | | | | | |
| — | by adopting Article 3(1) of the Decree of the President of the Council of Ministers of 3 September 1999, laying down, for the purposes of determining whether a project covered by Annex II to Directive 85/337, as amended by Directive 97/11, must be subject to an environmental impact assessment, a criterion which is inappropriate in that it may exclude projects which have a significant effect on the environment from that assessment, | | | | | | |

| 2. | Orders the Italian Republic to pay the costs. |
| -- | --------------------------------------------- |

---

( 1 )  OJ C 31, 5.2.2005.

---