CELEX: C2006/224/49
Language: en
Date: 2006-09-16 00:00:00
Title: Case C-316/06: Action brought on 20 July 2006 — Commission of the European Communities v Ireland

16.9.2006   
            
            
               EN
            
            
               Official Journal of the European Union
            
            
               C 224/26
            
         Action brought on 20 July 2006 — Commission of the European Communities v Ireland
   (Case C-316/06)
   (2006/C 224/49)
   Language of the case: English
   Parties
   
      Applican: Commission of the European Communities (represented by: S. Pardo Quintillán, D. Lawunmi, Agents)
   
      Defendant: Ireland
   The applicant claims that the Court should:
   
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               declare that, by failing, in respect of discharges from the agglomerations known as IE22, Bray, IE31, Howth, IE34, Letterkenny, IE40, Shanaganagh, IE41, Sligo, and IE45, Tramore County Waterford, to ensure that, before discharge, waste water entering collecting systems was made subject to secondary treatment or an equivalent treatment at the latest by 31 December 2000 and by failing to ensure that the said discharges satisfied the relevant requirements of Annex I.B of Council Directive 91/271/EEC (1) of 30 May 1991 concerning urban waste water treatment by the said deadline, Ireland has failed to fulfil its obligations under Article 4(1) and 4(3) of the said Directive.
            
         
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               order Ireland to pay the costs.
            
         Pleas in law and main arguments
   The Commission submits that the Irish authorities are in breach of their obligations to ensure that waste waters from the agglomerations in questions are subject to secondary treatment (or equivalent), as set out in Article 4 of the directive.
   Although Ireland has offered explanations as to the delays encountered in these agglomerations and has provided some indications of the state of progress in meeting the directive's requirements, it is the Commission's view that these explanations and indications cannot be considered as excusing a failure to meet the deadline fixed in Article 4(1), first indent, of the directive. Moreover, the Commission submits that the information provided by the Irish authorities is insufficient to allow it to conclude that the installation of secondary waste-water treatment plants in these agglomerations is imminent. In most cases, it appears that several further stages need to be completed before the treatment plants will be installed.
   
      (1)  OJ L 135, P.40 - 52