WRITTEN QUESTION E-2527/01

by Antonios Trakatellis (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(19 September 2001)

Subject: Operation of illegal waste sites in Greece and compliance with Directive 1999/31/EC on the landfill of waste

A great many waste sites operate illegally in Greece and at others there is uncontrolled disposal and landfill of waste with total disregard for the rules laid down by Directive 75/442/EEC(1) on waste, as amended by Directive 91/156/EEC(2), thereby creating public health and environmental hazards. Directive 1999/31/EC(3) on the landfill of waste lays down strict measures, procedures and guidelines for the prevention and reduction of negative effects on the environment (pollution of surface water and groundwater, soil, air, and effects on the global environment), as well as any resulting risk to human health, from landfilling of waste, during the whole life-cycle of the landfill.

Given that the deadline for Member States' compliance with Directive 1999/31/EC expired in April 2001, will the Commission say:

1. how many waste sites are in operation in Greece, in what way they operate and how many of them have been granted an operating licence by the competent authorities in accordance with Community directives,

2. whether there is compliance in Greece with the requirements of Directive 75/442/EEC on waste and what measures it will take against breaches of Community rules protecting the environment and public health,

3. whether Greece has communicated the legal provisions transposing Directive 1999/31/EC into national law as laid down in Article 18 of the Directive and, if not, what measures the Commission intends to take to ensure compliance,

4. what measures Greece has taken to dispose of only processed waste at landfill sites, to dispose of hazardous waste only at sites intended for that purpose and to dispose of inert waste only at sites intended for that purpose, as provided in Directive 1999/31/EC,

5. what the cost is to Greece of implementing Directive 1999/31/EC on the landfill of waste and whether provision has been made for Community funding to set up landfill sites?

(1) OJ L 194, 25.7.1975, p. 47.

(2) OJ L 78, 26.3.1991, p. 32.

(3) OJ L 182, 16.7.1999, p. 1.

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(12 November 2001)

1. According to the Greek national waste management plan there are at present 33 sanitary landfill sites, which accept around 45 % of the municipal waste in Greece. Another 45 % of the municipal waste is landfilled in tips, that, according to the plan, comply only partly with the sanitary landfill specifications.

The Commission does not have the powers at present, to require the transmission of data on all landfill sites and their conformity with Community legislation. Better information will be available when the Member States report according to Commission Decision 2000/738/EC of 17 November 2000 concerning a questionnaire for Member States reports on the implementation of Directive 1999/31/EC on the landfill of waste(1). The first reports are to be drawn up by the Member States for the period 2001 to 2003 and must be presented to the Commission by September 2004.

2. The Commission has received numerous complaints about illegal landfill sites in Greece and has taken legal action against Greece for bad application of Community waste legislation(2).

3. and 4. Greece has not yet communicated the national measures for the transposition of Council Directive 1999/31/EC of 26 April 1999 to the Commission.

5. Before the adoption of Directive 1999/31/EC a study was made on the costs and benefits of the Directive(3). In this study the costs for Greece to meet the proposed Directive were estimated at around 1 000 million. Household waste management in Greece is currently co-financed under the Cohesion Fund and the 13 regional operational programmes (ROPs) of the Structural Funds. It includes activities relating to implementation of the Directive. The total amount of aid can be estimated at around 500 million from the Cohesion Fund for the whole of the period 2000-2006. To this is added the aid provided under the environmental measures included in the 13 ROPs of the Community support framework for the Greek regions eligible for Objective 1 during that period. The Commission does not have the breakdown of all the aid allocated to these measures ( 578 million) but estimates that some 100 million will be used for waste-disposal-related activities. The Commission would like to stress that the co-financing of certain activities by Community funds does not mean that the Community is under any obligation to co-finance the implementation of the relevant Directives.

(1) OJ L 298, 25.11.2000.

(2) See for instance the Kouroupitos case.

(3) Commission of the European Communities, A Cost-Benefit Analysis of the Proposed Council Directive on the Landfill of Waste, January 1994.