Case C-343/10: Action brought on 7 July 2010 — European Commission v Kingdom of Spain
Date: 2010-07-07
Institutions: Court of Justice
Subjects: European Commission, Spain, action for failure to fulfil an obligation, pollution control measures, urban area, wastewater, water treatment








C_2010234EN.01002901.xml










28.8.2010   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 234/29





Action brought on 7 July 2010 — European Commission v Kingdom of Spain
(Case C-343/10)
()
2010/C 234/47
Language of the case: Spanish

Parties


Applicant: European Commission (represented by: S. Pardo Quintillán, Agent)

Defendant: Kingdom of Spain

Form of order sought







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Declare that, by failing to ensure that






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urban waste water from the agglomerations with a population equivalent of more than 15 000 of Valle de Güimar, Noreste (Valle Guerra), Valle de la Orotava, Arenys de Mar, Alcossebre and Cariño is collected in conformity with Article 3 of Directive 91/271/EEC, (1) and










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urban waste water from the agglomerations with a population equivalent of more than 15 000 of Arroyo de la Miel, Arroyo de la Víbora, Estepota (San Pedro de Alcántara), Alhaurín el Grande, Coín, Barbate, Chipiona, Isla Cristina, Matalascañas, Nerja, Tarifa, Torrox Costa, Vejer de la Frontera, Gijón-Este, Llanes, Valles de Güimar, Noreste (Valle Guerra), Los Llanos de Aridane, Arenys de Mar, Pineda de Mar, Ceuta, Alcossebre, Benicarló, Elx (Arenales), Peñíscola, Teulada Moraira (Rada Moraira), Vinaròs, A Coruña, Cariño, Tui, Vigo, Aguiño-Carreira-Ribeira, Baiona, Noia, Santiago, Viveiro and Irán (Hondarribia) is treated in conformity with Article 4(1), (3) and, where applicable, (4) of the directive,




the Kingdom of Spain has failed to fulfil its obligations under the cited provisions of Directive 91/271/EEC;










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order the Kingdom of Spain to pay the costs.





Pleas in law and main arguments

In accordance with Article 3(1) and Article 4(1) of Directive 91/271/EEC, agglomerations with a population equivalent of more than 15 000 had to be provided with collecting systems and subjected to secondary treatment or an equivalent for urban waste water by 31 December 2000 at the latest.
In accordance with Article 3(2) of the directive, the collecting systems for urban waste water have to satisfy the requirements of Annex I (A).
As regards the obligations to treat urban waste water, Article 4(1) of the directive imposes on the Member States the obligation to ensure that, before discharge, waste water entering collecting systems is subjected to secondary treatment or an equivalent treatment.
Pursuant to Article 4(3) of the directive, discharges from treatment plants are to satisfy the relevant requirements of Annex I (B). For its part, Annex I (B) referred to the requirements set out in table I of that annex. Finally, the methods for monitoring set out in Annex I (D) make it possible to verify whether discharges from urban waste water treatment plants satisfy the requirements laid down in Annex I (B).
In respect of the 38 agglomerations concerned, the Kingdom of Spain has failed to satisfy the requirements laid down in the directive.


(1)  Council Directive of 21 May 1991 concerning urban waste water treatment (OJ 1991 L 135, p. 40).