EN Official Journal of the European Union CE 84/830

(2004/C 84 E/0924)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0647/04

by María Bergaz Conesa (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(8 March 2004)

Subject: Urban waste water treatment in Benidorm, (Alicante province) Spain

The way in which the water treatment plant in Benidorm pours inadequately treated waste water into the sea, polluting the unspoilt and protected Sierra Helada coastal area, with serious consequences, contravenes Community legislation on the environment, in particular Council Directive 91/271/EEC (1) concerning urban waste water treatment. Under the directive, towns the size of Benidorm were to have a system for the collection and stringent treatment of urban waste water by 31 December 2000 at the latest.

Can the Commission request information from the Spanish authorities regarding the volume and composition of the waste water being poured into the sea in the environmentally sensitive area of Sierra Helada?

Can the Commission confirm whether the quality of the maritime waters in this area conforms to the guideline values under Directive 76/160/EEC (2) concerning the quality of bathing water?

What measures does the Commission intend to take in this instance to ensure that Community law is correctly applied?

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(16 April 2004)

In terms of Community law, Council Directive 91/271/EEC (3) of 21 May 1991 concerning urban waste water treatment requires Member States to ensure that all agglomerations with more than 2 000 population equivalents (PE: the organic pollution measuring unit representing the average pollution produced per person per day) are provided with urban waste water collection and treatment systems. Smaller agglomerations shall be subject to appropriate treatment if the waste water is collected. The deadlines for providing those systems are 31 December 1998 (tertiary treatment), 31 December 2000 and 31 December 2005, depending upon the size of the agglomeration and the sensitivity of the recipient waters.

The Commission is verifying the implementation of the Directive. In order to receive updated information for the third report on the implementation of the Urban Waste Water Directive, the Commission sent out questionnaires to Member States in 2003.

Concerning Benidorm, in 2003 the Spanish Authorities provided the Commission with the information that the agglomeration is of a size of 347 041 PE and that treatment could be provided beyond the standard secondary treatment since 2002.

The Commission will verify with the Spanish Authorities the performance of the Benidorm treatment plant, and will consequently inform the Honourable Member.

With regard to the quality of bathing waters, Benidorm has five monitored beaches. The information sent to the Commission by the Spanish Authorities showed that all of them comply with the guideline values under the Bathing Water Directive (4).

In the case of non-compliance, the Commission will, as in similar cases, take the necessary action in its role as Guardian of the Treaty, including appropriate legal action.

(1) OJ L 135, 30.5.1991, p. 40.

(2) OJ L 31, 5.2.1976, p. 1.

(3) Council Directive 91/271/EEC, OJ L 135, 30.5.1991, p. 40, as amended by Commission Directive 98/15/EC of 27 February 1998, OJ L 67, 3.7.1998, p. 29.

(4) Council Directive 76/160/EEC of 8 December 1975 concerning the quality of bathing water, OJ L 31, 5.2.1976.