Waste management law

In a significant move, the European Commission (EC) has announced actions against Bulgaria for failure to comply with several crucial EU directives. The EC referred Bulgaria to the Court of Justice of the European Union for not enacting measures in line with the Victims' Rights' Directive.

The European Commission is referring Greece to the Court of Justice of the EU over poor waste management on the Greek island of Corfu.

Only two weeks after it slapped Greece with a 10-million-euro fine for failing to close down dozens of illegal landfills in line with EU law, the European Court of Justice on Thursday ruled that a waste treatment facility in Kiato, west of Athens, does not adhere to EU waste legislation.

With the European Court set to announce the total fine for Greece’s flouting of European waste management laws on December 2, the Environment Ministry’s general secretary Nadia Giannakopoulou said the government had intensified its coordination with local and regional authorities to close down dozens of illegal landfills around the country.

Greek authorities have less than two weeks to close down dozens of illegal landfills or face large fines as the European Court is set to announce the size of the total penalty for Greece’s flouting of European waste management laws on December 2.