Athens targeted for next round of fines

Date: 19/06/1997

By Rory Watson

GREECE is set to become the third EU member state to face the embarrassing prospect of being fined for failing to implement European legislation.

The decision to ask the European Court of Justice to impose the penalty is expected to be taken by the European Commission at its meeting next week.

Athens has come into the Commission's sights because of its failure to put into effect correctly EU rules on the disposal of waste and dangerous waste on the island of Crete.

The case is similar to an earlier one brought against Italy in January when the Commission raised the threat of a 123,900-ecu daily fine because the region of Campania had failed to implement six-year-old Union legislation on waste management.

Faced with the prospect of the ECJ agreeing to impose the fine, the Italian authorities have since complied with the standards in question and the case is expected to be formally closed next week.

Madrid is also in the firing line for failing to apply Union health and safety legislation. Only 47&percent; of EU rules in this area have made it on to the statute books in Spain, compared to an average of 89&percent; in the Union as a whole.

Earlier this year, Social Affairs Commissioner Pádraig Flynn warned the Spanish government it faced the prospect of fines if it did not improve its record. At next week's meeting, the Commission will start a lengthy process which could see recommendations on the size of fines to be imposed emerging by the end of the year.

While Spain has implemented a number of measures since Flynn's warning, the Commission is still unhappy with the lack of progress in putting into effect three EU directives concerned with protection against carcinogens, personal protective apparatus and the safety of equipment in the workplace.

In addition to the Italian case, the Commission is expected to close two others at next week's meeting.

It now appears satisfied with moves made in Germany to apply 1991 EU legislation on the quality of groundwater and Union rules on the protection of wild birds. By drawing a line under both procedures, the Commission will lift the threat facing the German authorities of daily fines of 264,000 ecu for the first offence and 26,400 ecu for the second.

But both Italy and Germany have more to do to avoid becoming the first member states to actually pay fines into EU coffers. Bonn still runs the risk of a 158,400-ecu-a-day fine for not fully applying Union rules on surface water, although the necessary domestic legislation is currently being approved. Rome still has to put into place EU standards to protect patients from the possible dangers of ionising radiation.

Commission officials are now examining almost a dozen more environmental cases, which may in time lead to similar fines being imposed on other member states for long-running misdemeanours.