6 - 12 July 2000

EU fines Greece over landfill - serious warning for Malta

by Franco Aloisio

The European Court of Justice on Tuesday imposed fines of 20,000 euros a day on Greece for failing to curb on the environmental damage being caused by the Chania landfill in Crete.

The Greek government will have to pay the daily sum into EU coffers until it complies with an earlier court ruling demanding the clean up of the waste dump on the island of Crete.

This ruling is a legal landmark, representing the first time the EU's supreme court has fined a member government. The ruling can be interpreted as a warning to Malta, as the Maghtab dump is also an extremely hazardous landfill.

The Luxembourg-based court said the fine reflected the "particularly serious" nature of the case and the long duration of Greece's infringement of EU law.

The court first ordered Greece to close the dump near the town of Chania in 1992 after the European Commission claimed the disposal of toxic waste there presented a danger to the environment and human health.

However Greece has ignored successive demands for a clean up of the site, claiming its efforts to build a modern waste disposal facility near Chania have faced stiff opposition from local residents.

Arnold Cassola, secretary general of the European Greens told The Malta Business Weekly that this ruling represents a serious warning to Malta, because the EU's environmental regulations are very clear.

"The EU has adopted a zero tolerance approach to abuses which jeopardise the environment and the quality of life of human beings," Dr Cassola said.

"The Chania landfill is no exception. Maghtab will follow suit when Malta joins the EU and fails to rectify the situation."

Asked to comment on this ruling, Environment Minister Francis Zammit Dimech said this stand is a very positive one.

"It is a benchmark ruling which shows clearly that every EU member State will have to abide by environmental regulations," Dr Zammit Dimech said.

On Maghtab, Dr Zammit Dimech said the present landfill will be closed down once an alternative landfill is earmarked. He said the new landfill will comply fully with EU regulations. Dr Zammit Dimech added that no transition period for the closing down of Maghtab is expected to be demanded during negotiations.

The European court was granted powers to impose fines on a national government by the 1992 Maastricht Treaty which strengthened ties among the EU member nations. It has never used that authority before, since governments have usually abided by its rulings.

However, two similar cases are pending, one against France concerning regulations covering working at night and another against Greece over non-recognition of diplomas issued in other EU nations.