WRITTEN QUESTION E-2367/03 by Jorge Hernández Mollar (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Community survey of water treatment on the Costa del Sol.
Date: 2003-07-17
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Andalusia, EU control, national implementing measure, pollution control measures, urban area, wastewater, water treatment

6.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 58 E/163

The Commission is not informed of the activities carried out by Iberoeka and therefore is not in a position
to provide any evaluation on these activities. However, the Commission is aware that an evaluation was
commissioned by CYTED to the Fundacion General de la Universidad Politècnica de Madrid and may be
available through them.

(2004/C 58 E/176)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2367/03

by Jorge Hernández Mollar (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Community survey of water treatment on the Costa del Sol

(17 July 2003)

A good half of the most popular beaches of the Costa del Sol are this year, once again, suffering from the
absence of treatment plants or other suitable facilities for handling waste water (cid:1) infrastructures which
should have been put in place decades ago.

The treatment issue is still ‘unfinished business’ in such tourist-oriented municipalities as Fuengirola, Mijas,
Benalmádena and Nerja, whose beaches are, this summer, yet again visibly polluted.

Can the Commission state whether a Community survey exists of the state of water treatment on the Costa
del Sol in Andalusia, pursuant to the mandatory and binding Community legislation on the matter?

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(10 September 2003)

In terms of Community law, Council Directive 91/271/EEC (1) of 21 May 1991 concerning urban waste
water treatment requires Member States to ensure that all agglomerations with more than 2 000
population equivalents (e.g., 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.

A Community survey of waste water treatment exists, as the Commission is verifying the implementation
of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive very closely. The Commission follows the compliance with
the deadlines and the provisions of the Directive in all Member States, therefore the Costa del Sol in
Andalusia is covered by this process as well. Violations of the provisions of the Directive have legal actions
as a consequence.

The Commission is aware of the particular unsatisfactory waste water treatment situation in Spain and has
already launched several infringement procedures against Spain. Two of them are already before court
(A-2000/4044 and C-2001/419 on which a court judgement was pronounced in May 2003).

Concerning Fuengirola and Nerja, a horizontal infringement procedure is in preparation, which will cover,
besides Fuengirola and Nerja, all agglomerations which do not respect the provisions of the above deadline
having expired at the end of 2000 and concerning agglomerations above 15 000 e.g., in non sensitive
areas.

As regards Mijas and Benalmádena, the Commission has no information about the waste water treatment
situation and no indication that these two agglomerations fall under one of the above-mentioned deadlines,
which have already expired. For this reason there are currently no grounds to take any legal action.

(1) Council Directive 91/271/EEC concerning urban waste water treatment, 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.