WRITTEN QUESTION E-3646/00

by Mihail Papayannakis (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(23 November 2000)

Subject: Biological sewage works on Levkada

There is a sewage works operating in Levkada which is located within a biotope. The effluent is released in the Diaulos area. The communities in the north-east of the island are directly affected and for five years the sea area north-east of the island has suffered irreparable pollution.

In the original studies for the town sewage system, the effluent was to be discharged into the Ionian Sea. Once local leaders became aware of the problem, the Ministry of the Environment, Public Works and Regional Planning and the Ministry

of Internal Affairs by joint ministerial decree of 19 December 1995 decided to move the outlet for effluent to the Ionian Sea, with construction to be completed by 21 December 1998. Nothing has yet happened, with the result that Community water quality legislation is being infringed. As the biological sewage plant for Levkada was funded by the Community, will the Commission intervene to correct this error?

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(31 January 2001)

By ministerial order of 2 August 1999, the Greek authorities identified the straits of Levkada as a sensitive area under Council Directive 91/271/EEC of 21 May 1991 concerning urban waste water treatment(1). Therefore Levkada town, which discharges its waste water into these straits, should have been provided with a collecting system and facilities for the stringent treatment of waste water by 31 December 1998. Such treatment must include secondary treatment, i.e. biological treatment, followed by tertiary treatment to reduce nitrogen and phosphorous pollution in the waste water.

In 1999 the Commission began checking the situation in all the agglomerations in the Community which discharge their waste water into sensitive areas as defined in the Directive. A consolidated report will be published at the beginning of 2001. The information forwarded by the Greek authorities in 1999 and 2000 indicates that almost none of the 40 agglomerations in Greece which discharge their waste water into sensitive areas and should therefore have been provided with appropriate collecting and treatment systems by 31 December 1998 had, by that date, met the requirements of the Directive. In 1999 the processing capacity of Levkada's waste water treatment plant was still insufficient and the authorities said that major work had to be done to complete it. This tallies with the information provided by the Honourable Member. The work funded by the Community was necessary but additional investment is needed for the plant to meet the requirements of the Directive.

In these circumstances, the Commission intends to initiate infringement proceedings against Greece in respect of all the agglomerations which do not meet the requirements of the Directive, including Levkada, and it will ask Greece to take the necessary measures to ensure that its collecting and treatment systems conform to the provisions thereof.

The authorities concerned have not presented any request for cofinancing of the work on the plant. If they do, it will be examined in accordance with the project assessment and selection procedures laid down in national and Community legislation.

(1) OJ L 135, 30.5.1991.