Press Release: Commission takes Spain to Court over waste water treatment presenting a risk to public health

The European Commission announced on the 26 November 2014 that it was taking Spain to Court over a failure to ensure that waste water was properly treated. In the EU, Member States need adequate collection and treatment systems for urban waste water, as untreated water poses risks to human health, inland waters and the marine environment. Spain was first warned in 2003 about this particular case, which concerns areas with a population equivalent of more than 10 000. Although some problems have since been solved, the slow rate of progress has then led the Commission, on the recommendation of Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Commissioner Karmenu Vella, to refer the case to the Court of Justice of the European Union.

Spain lagged behind in implementing the EU legislation on urban waste water treatment, and reports from the Spanish authorities show that appropriate treatment is still lacking in agglomerations such as Berga, Figueres, El Terri (Banyoles), all in Catalonia, and Pontevedra-Marín-Poio-Bueu, in Galicia. For some other areas (Bollullos Par del Condado, Andalusia, and Abrera and Capellades, both in Catalonia) the Commission takes the view that the data submitted is either incomplete, or shows a failure to comply with the appropriate standards.