CELEX: C2006/310/16
Language: en
Date: 2006-12-16 00:00:00
Title: Case C-440/06: Action brought on 24 October 2006 — Commission of the European Communities v Hellenic Republic

16.12.2006   
            
            
               EN
            
            
               Official Journal of the European Union
            
            
               C 310/9
            
         Action brought on 24 October 2006 — Commission of the European Communities v Hellenic Republic
   (Case C-440/06)
   (2006/C 310/16)
   Language of the case: Greek
   Parties
   
      Applicant: Commission of the European Communities (represented by: S. Pardo Quintillán and M. Konstantinidis)
   
      Defendant: Hellenic Republic
   Form of order sought
   The Court is asked to:
   
               —
            
            
               declare that the Hellenic Republic has failed to fulfil its obligations under Articles 3 and 4 of Directive 91/271/EEC (1) concerning urban waste-water treatment by failing to ensure that 24 agglomerations are provided with collecting systems for urban waste water meeting the requirements of Article 3 and/or urban waste water treatment systems satisfying the requirements of Article 4;
            
         
               —
            
            
               order the Hellenic Republic to pay the costs.
            
         Pleas in law and main arguments
   Article 3 of Directive 91/271/EEC requires Member States to ensure that all agglomerations of a certain size are provided with collecting systems for urban waste water. Article 4 of the Directive also provides that Member States are to ensure that urban waste water entering collecting systems is subject to secondary treatment (or an equivalent treatment) within the meaning of Article 2(8) of the Directive.
   This case concerns the breach of two specific obligations on the part of the Hellenic Republic, provided for in Articles 3 and 4 of Directive 91/271/EEC: first, the requirement that there should be a collecting system for urban waste water by 31 December 2000 in all agglomerations with a population of more than 15 000 before 31 December 2000 in accordance with Article 3 of the Directive; second, the requirement that all urban waste water discharged into collecting systems should be subject to secondary treatment by 31 December 2000 in agglomerations with a population of more than 15 000.
   By the end of the period laid down by the Commission in the statement of reasons in its opinion (13 September 2005), 24 agglomerations in Greece did not have a collecting system for urban waste water and/or a treatment system for urban waste water as required by the Directive.
   
      (1)  OJ L 135 of 30.05.1991, p. 40.