Judgment of the Court (Seventh Chamber) of 6 April 2017 — Commission v Slovenia
(Case C‑153/16) (1)
(Failure of a Member State to fulfil obligations — Inappropriate storage of a large number of used tyres — Landfill not complying with the requirements fixed by Directives 2008/98/EC and 1999/31/EC — Persistent and continuous danger to the environment and human health)
1.      Actions for failure to fulfil obligations — Examination of the merits by the Court — Situation to be taken into consideration — Situation on expiry of the period laid down in the reasoned opinion
(Art. 258 TFEU)
(see para. 50)
2.      Environment — Waste — Directive 2008/98 — Obligation to ensure waste management without endangering human health or harming the environment — Scope — Persistence of a non-compliant situation over a protracted period — Failure to fulfil obligations
(European Parliament and Council Directive 2008/98, Arts 12 and 13)
(see paras 60-62, 71-76)
3.      Member States — Obligations — Implementation of directives — Failure to fulfil obligations — National system pleaded as justification — Not permissible
(Art. 4(3) TEU; Art. 258 TFEU)
(see para. 69)
Operative part
The Court:
1)
Declares that, by accepting in a gravel mine situated on the territory of the municipality of Lovrenc na Dravskem polju (Slovenia) a persistent and continuous danger to the environment and human health, as a result of the inappropriate storage of large quantities of disused tyres, of the mixture of the latter with other waste and the landfill thereof in infringement of the requirements of Council Directive 1999/31/EC of 26 April 1999 on the landfill of waste, the Republic of Slovenia failed to fulfil its obligations under Article 5(3)(d) of that directive, as well as Articles 12 and 13 and Article 36(1) of Directive 2008/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 November 2008 on waste and repealing certain Directives;
2)
Dismisses the action as to the remainder;
3)
Orders the Republic of Slovenia to bear its own costs and to pay two thirds of those of the European Commission;
4)
Orders the European Commission to bear one-third of its own costs.
1 OJ C 222, 20.6.2016.