Action brought on 11 March 2022 — European Commission v Italian Republic

(Case C-197/22)

(2022/C 171/28)

Language of the case: Italian

Parties

Applicant: European Commission (represented by: G. Gattinara and E. Sanfrutos Cano, acting as Agents)

Defendant: Italian Republic

Form of order sought

The Commission claims that the Court should:

1) find that, in failing to adopt measures apt to ensure observance of the values set out in Part B of Annex I to Council Directive 98/83/EC of 3 November 1998 on the quality of water intended for human consumption (OJ 1998 L 330, p. 32) — as regards the concentration level of arsenic in the Comune di Bagnoregio (Italy) from 2018 onwards, in the Comune di Civitella d’Agliano (Italy) in the first half of 2018, the second half of 2019 and from 2020 onwards with the exception of the second half of 2021, in the Comune di Fabrica di Roma (Italy) in 2013 and from 2015 onwards, in the Comune di Farnese (Italy) in 2013 and then from 2018 onwards, in the Comune di Ronciglione (Italy) in 2013, the first half of 2018, the first half of 2019 and from 2020 onwards, and in the Comune di Tuscania (Italy) from 2018 onwards with the exception of the first half of 2019; and — as regards the concentration level of fluoride in the Comune di Bagnoregio from 2018 to the first half of 2019 and in the Comune di Fabrica di Roma in 2018, the first half of 2019 and the second half of 2021, the Italian Republic failed to meet its obligations under Article 4(1) of Directive 98/83/EC in combination with Part B of Annex I thereto;

2) and that, in failing to adopt at an earlier stage the measures necessary to restore the water quality in the Comune di Bagnoregio, the Comune di Civitella d’Agliano, the Comune di Fabrica di Roma, the Comune di Farnese, the Comune di Ronciglione and the Comune di Tuscania as regards the concentration level of arsenic and in the Comune di Bagnoregio and the Comune di Fabrica di Roma as regards the concentration level of fluoride, the Italian Republic failed to meet the obligation incumbent on it under Article 8(2) of Directive 98/83/EC;

3) order the Italian Republic to pay the costs.

Pleas in law and main arguments

In the first plea of its action, the Commission claims that, by failing to ensure observance of the values set out in Part B of Annex I to the directive as regards arsenic and fluoride, the Italian Republic failed to meet its obligation under Article 4(1) of Directive 98/83/EC in combination with Annex I thereto. Specifically, the infringement relating to the concentration level of arsenic concerns the Comune di Bagnoregio from 2018 onwards, the Comune di Civitella d’Agliano in the first half of 2018, the second half of 2019 and from 2020 onwards with the exception of the second half of 2021, the Comune di Fabrica di Roma in 2013 and from 2015 onwards, the Comune di Farnese in 2013 and then from 2018 onwards, the Comune di Ronciglione in 2013, the first half of 2018, the first half of 2019 and from 2020 onwards, and the Comune di Tuscania from 2018 until today with the exception of the first half of 2019. Those infringements are ongoing to this day. As regards the concentration levels of fluoride, the infringement of the obligation under Article 4(1) and Annex I concern the Comune di Bagnoregio from 2018 to the first half of 2019 and the Comune di Fabrica di Roma in 2018, the first half of 2019 and the second half of 2021.

In the second plea, the Commission argues that, by failing to adopt at an earlier stage the measures necessary to restore the water quality in the Comune di Bagnoregio, the Comune di Civitella d’Agliano, the Comune di Fabrica di Roma, the Comune di Farnese, the Comune di Ronciglione and the Comune di Tuscania as regards the concentration level of arsenic and in the Comune di Bagnoregio and the Comune di Fabrica di Roma as concerns the concentration level of fluoride, the Italian Republic failed to meet the obligations incumbent on it under Article 8(2) of the directive.