The European Commission appealed to the EU Court of Justice on Thursday over Portugal’s failure to tackle pollution from industrial activities, Euractiv reports.
The European Commission said in a statement that Portugal has failed to fully align its national legislation with the European Industrial Emissions Directive (Directive 2010/75/EU). It emphasises that “industrial activities can significantly affect the environment and human health.”
The Directive sets out rules to prevent or reduce emissions to air, water and land, as well as to prevent the generation of waste.
The European Commission considers that Portugal has not fully harmonised the definitions of “hazardous substances” and “existing installation” in its national legislation with the Directive. It notes that the obligations of industrial operators and competent authorities to take appropriate measures in the event of an incident or accident are not clearly defined.
The infringement procedure was initiated in 2022. The Commission now considers that the efforts of the Portuguese authorities were insufficient and has therefore decided to refer the Portuguese case to the Court of Justice.
In the field of environmental protection, Lisbon was also sent a formal notification letter today opening infringement proceedings for failure to fully fulfil its obligations under the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (Directive 91/271/EEC).
The Directive requires urban wastewater to be collected and treated before being discharged into the environment, and Brussels emphasised that “to date, in 20 agglomerations in Portugal, urban wastewater entering collection systems is not adequately treated before discharge. In addition, three agglomerations discharge urban wastewater to sensitive areas without the required more stringent treatment.”
