EU takes Greece to court for poor treatment of waste water

Thu Nov 19, 2015 12:11pm GMT Related: WORLD

BRUSSELS

Reuters

The European Commission has taken Greece to court a second time for not treating its waste water properly and is proposing a fine of at least 15 million euros, it said on Thursday.

In 2004, the highest European Union court ruled that Greece was violating EU law for not collecting and treating waste water discharged into the Gulf of Elefsina.

On Thursday, the Commission began infringement proceedings against Greece for failing to address the problem. It seeks a lump sum fine based on a daily amount multiplied by the number of days since the 2004 ruling, which now amounts to 15.9 million euros. ($17.02 million) The fine would continue until the court rules again or Greece fixes the problem.

The Commission also asked the European Court of Justice to fine Greece a daily 34,974 euros from the date of the second ruling until Greece complies.

Only 28 percent of urban waste water is collected and treated before being dumped in the Gulf of Elefsina, posing a risk to human health, inland waters and the marine environment, the Commission said in a statement.

(Reporting by Julia Fioretti, editing by Larry King)