Case C-563/15: Action brought on 4 November 2015 — European Commission v Kingdom of Spain
Date: 2015-11-04
Institutions: Court of Justice
Subjects: Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, Castile-Leon, Community of Valencia, Region of Murcia, environmental protection, infringement of EU law, prevention of pollution, unauthorised dumping, waste recycling








C_2016016EN.01002101.xml










18.1.2016   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 16/21





Action brought on 4 November 2015 — European Commission v Kingdom of Spain
(Case C-563/15)
(2016/C 016/27)
Language of the case: Spanish

Parties


Applicant: European Commission (represented by: L. Pignataro-Nolin and E. Sanfrutos Cano, acting as Agents)

Defendant: Kingdom of Spain

Form of order sought

The applicant claims that the Court should:






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Declare that, in relation to the following landfill sites: Torremolinos (Malaga); Torrent de S’Estret (Andratx, Mallorca); Hoya de la Yegua de Arriba (Yaiza, Lanzarote); Barranco de Butihondo (Pájara, Fuerteventura); La Laguna-Tiscamanita (Tuineje, Fuerteventura); Lomo Blanco (Antigua, Fuerteventura); Montaña de Amagro (Galdar, Gran Canaria); Franja Costera de Botija (Galdar, Gran Canaria); Cueva Lapa (Galdar, Gran Canaria); La Colmena (Santiago del Teide, Tenerife); Montaña Los Giles (La Laguna, Tenerife); Las Rosas (Güimar, Tenerife); Barranco de Tejina (Guía de Isora, Tenerife); Llano de Ifara (Granadilla de Abona, Tenerife); Barranco del Carmen (Sta. Cruz de la Palma, La Palma); Barranco Jurado (Tijarafe, La Palma); Montaña Negra (Puntagorda, La Palma); Lomo Alto (Fuencaliente, La Palma); Arure/Llano Grande (Valle Gran Rey, La Gomera); El Palmar — Taguluche (Hermigua, La Gomera); Paraje de Juan Barba (Alajeró, La Gomera); El Altito (Valle Gran Rey, La Gomera); Punta Sardina (Agulo, La Gomera); Los Llanillos (La Frontera, El Hierro); Faro de Orchilla (La Frontera, El Hierro); Montaña del Tesoro (Valverde, El Hierro); Arbancón; Galve de Sorbe; Hiendelaencina; Tamajón; El Casar; Cardeñosa (Àvila); Miranda de Ebro (Burgos); Poza de la Sal (Burgos); Acebedo (León); Bustillo del Páramo (León); Cármenes (León); Gradefes (León); Noceda del Bierzo (León); San Millán de los Caballeros (León); Santa María del Páramo (León); Villaornate y Castro (León); Cevico de la Torre (Palencia); Palencia (Palencia); Ahigal de los Aceiteros (Salamanca); Alaraz (Salamanca); Calvarrasa de Abajo (Salamanca); Hinojosa de Duero (Salamanca); Machacón (Salamanca); Palaciosrubios (Salamanca); Peñaranda de Bracamonte (Salamanca); Salmoral (Salamanca); Tordillos (Salamanca); Basardilla (Segovia); Cabezuela (Segovia); Almaraz del Duero (Zamora), Cañizal (Zamora); Casaseca de las Chanas (Zamora); La Serratilla (Abanilla); Las Rellanas (Santomera) and El Labradorcico (Águilas), the Kingdom of Spain has failed to fulfil its obligations under Articles 13 and 15 of Directive 2008/98/EC (1) of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 November 2008 on waste and repealing certain Directives










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order the Kingdom of Spain to pay the costs.





Pleas in law and main arguments









1.


Infringement of Article 13 of the Directive:
Article 13 of Directive 2008/98 provides that Member States must take the necessary measures to ensure that waste management is carried out without endangering human health and without harming the environment. The information available to the Commission confirms the continuation at the date of the supplementary reasoned opinion of 61 illegal landfill sites which are still unsealed and unregenerated. The continuation of that situation over a prolonged period of time leads necessarily to a significant deterioration in the environment. The Commission, therefore, concludes that in respect of each of those landfill sites the Kingdom of Spain has failed to fulfill its obligations under Article 13 of Directive 2008/98.












2.


Infringement of Article 15 of the Directive:
Article 15(1) of Directive 2008/98 requires Member States to take the necessary measures to ensure that any original waste producer or other holder carries out the treatment of waste himself or has the treatment handled by a dealer or an establishment or an undertaking which carries out waste treatment operations or arranged by a private or public waste collector, in accordance with Articles 4 and 13 of that directive. The continuation of 61 illegal landfill sites that remain unsealed and unregenerated allows the Commission to find that the Spanish authorities have not taken all the necessary measures required by that provision, in so far as over a prolonged period those authorities did not prevent illegal dumping of waste in those landfill sites and, therefore, did not ensure that that waste was treated in accordance with those provisions.






(1)  OJ 2008 L 312, p. 3.