European Commission sues Portugal over failure to combat industrial pollution

The European Commission is taking Portugal to the EU Court of Justice over failures to combat pollution from industrial activities, the European Commission announced in a statement published on Thursday.

In the statement, the EU executive said Portugal had failed to fully align its national legislation with the European Industrial Emissions Directive (Directive 2010/75/EU). It stressed that "industrial activities can significantly impact the environment and health".

The Directive lays down rules to prevent or reduce emissions to air, water, and land, and to prevent waste generation.

The European Commission considers that Portugal has not fully aligned the definitions of "dangerous substances" and "existing installation" in its national legislation with the Directive. It points out 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 launched in 2022. The Commission now considers that the Portuguese authorities' efforts have been insufficient and has, therefore, decided to refer Portugal to the Court of Justice.

In the environment area, a letter of formal notice was also sent to Lisbon today, opening an infringement procedure for failing to fully comply with 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 stressed that "to date, in 20 agglomerations in Portugal, urban waste water entering collecting systems is not adequately treated before being discharged. In addition, three agglomerations discharge urban wastewater into sensitive areas without the more stringent treatment required. "

(Ivone Gravato – edited by Pedro Sousa Carvalho, Daniel Eck | Lusa.pt)