The European Commission has decided to sue Slovakia in EU Court for failing to respect the EU directive on landfills with regard to a total of 21 decommissioned sites.
Under the EU directive on landfills, member states were supposed to close old landfills by 16 July 2009, though Slovakia had obtained exceptions.
In April 2017, the European Commission sent a formal call to Bratislava to comply with the directive, which was followed by a reasoned opinion in March 2019.
Slovakia has since closed 14 non-compliant landfills, but some were restored and re-authorised.
Slovakia also attempted to upgrade its legislation, allowing for the slapping of up to €7 million in fines on landfill operators who do not comply with the rules; and the construction of new landfills was stopped. Landfill fees have also increased since.
Yet, according to the Commission, up to 21 Slovak landfills are still required to take certain measures. Although these are decommissioned, they have not been recultivated and definitively closed, as the EU Directive requires.
The landfills continue to pose a danger to the surrounding environment and human health.
(Lucia Yar | EURACTIV.sk)
Source: euractiv.com
