Press Release: The Commission suspends its decision to bring France before the European Court of Justice for a second time in a case concerning the pollution by nitrates of drinking water abstraction points in Brittany

France has taken measures to implement its March 2007 plan of action to ensure that nitrate concentrations of all remaining non-compliant drinking water abstraction points do not exceed 50 mg/l by the end of 2009, in accordance with the Surface Water Directive. France is to execute the ruling of the Court in case C-266/99 from 8 March 2001, which referred to 37 abstractions points. Nine water drinking abstraction points remain non-compliant. They are all located in Brittany, and are referred to as follows: Arguenon, Bizien, Gouessant, Guindy, Ic, Urne (Department of Côtes-d'Armor); Aber Wrac'h and Horn (Department of Finistère) and Echelles (Department of Ille-et-Vilaine).