The European Commission announced on Friday it has referred Romania back to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failing to fully comply with a 2018 judgement that said the country was obliged to close and rehabilitate all landfills that did not obtain a permit to operate, according to a press release.
„The Court found that Romania had failed to comply with this obligation with respect to 68 landfills,” said the EU Commission.
„This is a second referral to Court which may result in penalties for the time elapsed after the first judgment until achieving compliance,” added the Commission.
The Landfill Directive sets standards and provides guidance to prevent and reduce negative effects on human health and the environment from landfilling of waste.
The EU Commission said that three years after the judgment, Romania closed and rehabilitated 24 landfills, however, 44 are still not closed and for many of them, the necessary works for their rehabilitation are not yet planned.
To comply with the Court judgment, Romania is expected to take all the necessary measures in order to ensure that these landfills are closed, sealed and rehabilitated as soon as possible due to the health and environmental risks they entail.