CELEX: 62015CN0502
Language: en
Date: 2015-09-22 00:00:00
Title: Case C-502/15: Action brought on 22 September 2015 — European Commission v United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

18.1.2016   
            
            
               EN
            
            
               Official Journal of the European Union
            
            
               C 16/14
            
         Action brought on 22 September 2015 — European Commission v United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
   (Case C-502/15)
   (2016/C 016/17)
   Language of the case: English
   
      Parties
   
   
      Applicant: European Commission (represented by: K. Mifsud-Bonnici and E. Manhaeve, Agents)
   
      Defendant: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
   
      The applicant claims that the Court should:
   
   
               —
            
            
               declare that the United Kingdom, by failing to correctly apply the Council Directive 91/271/EEC (1) concerning urban waste water treatment, with regard to Gowerton and Llanelli, Gibraltar and 11 agglomerations, has failed to fulfil the obligations arising from Articles 3, 4, 5 and 10 of Directive 91/271/EEC;
            
         
               —
            
            
               order the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to pay the costs.
            
         
      Pleas in law and main arguments
   
   By its action the Commission requests the Court to declare that the United Kingdom has failed to implement correctly, in Gowerton and Llanelli, Gibraltar and 11 agglomerations, Council Directive 91/271/EEC concerning urban waste water treatment.
   The Commission considers, in particular, that the United Kingdom has not ensured that the waters collected in a combined urban waste waters and rainwater system in Gowerton and Llanelli are retained and conducted for treatment in compliance with the requirements of Article 3, 4, 10 and Annex I(A) and Annex I(B) of the Council Directive 91/271/EEC.
   Furthermore, the Commission takes the view that by either not putting in place secondary or equivalent treatment or not providing sufficient evidence to demonstrate compliance in this respect with the Directive 91/271/EEC with regard to 3 agglomerations, as well as by not subjecting the urban waste water in Gibraltar to any treatment, the United Kingdom has failed to fulfil its obligations under Article 4, Annex I(B) and Annex I(D) of the Council Directive 91/271/EEC.
   Finally, it is argued that the United Kingdom has not correctly complied with the obligations arising from Article 5, Annex I(B) and Annex I(D) of the Council Directive 91/271/EEC, as it has failed to ensure that urban waste water entering collecting systems from 8 agglomerations, before discharge into sensitive areas, is made subject to more stringent treatment.
   The period prescribed for transposing the directive expired on 30 June 1993.
   
      (1)  OJ L 135, p. 40.