Italy condemned in further EU nitrates case

The European court of justice (ECJ) today condemned Italy for failing to implement properly the 1991 EU nitrates directive, which aims to protect water from agricultural pollution. It marks the second time in less than three years that the European Commission has pursued and won a case against the member state over its handling of the directive.

Today's judgement largely follows an opinion on the case issued by a court advisor earlier this year. It concludes that Italy infringed three articles of the directive by failing to establish action programmes where necessary, failing to monitor action properly and by not submitting adequate reports to the Commission as required (EED 31/05/01).