EC refers Romania to the EU Court of Justice for failing to close illegal landfills

Romania was referred to the European Court of Justice for failing to close or rehabilitate 68 illegal landfills, which pose serious threat to human health as well as to the environment.

Previously, the Commission warned Romania regarding the 68 non-compliant landfills that Romania was required to close or rehabilitate as per the EU Landfill Directive (Council Directive 1999/31/EC). As per the provisions of the directive, EU member states must recover and dispose of waste in a manner that does not pose threats to human health and the environment. The directive prohibits the abandonment, dumping or uncontrolled disposal of waste.

The deadline for closing and rehabilitating the substandard municipal and industrial landfills was 16 July 2009.

In September 2015, upon noticing insufficient progress in addressing the issue, the Commission sent an additional reasoned opinion, urging Romanian authorities to deal with 109 uncontrolled sites. Although not in operation, the sites still pose a threat to human health and the environment.

Although the EC acknowledged that progress was made, 68 landfills had not been closed or cleaned up by December 2016. According to a press release, “the Commission is bringing the Romanian authorities before the Court of Justice of the EU.”

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The EU landfill directive lays down standards to protect human health and the environment, in particular surface water, groundwater, soil and air, from the negative effects caused by the collection, transport, storage, treatment and disposal of waste. In the past, the EC took similar measures against six other member states, namely Bulgaria, Cyprus, Spain, Italy, Slovenia and Slovakia.

Georgeta Gheorghe