EU Court Slaps Greece with €5.5 Million Fine over Zakynthos Landfill in Protected Turtle Habitat

The European Court of Justice has imposed dense penalties connected Greece for failing to unopen down an amerciable landfill wrong the Zakynthos Marine National Park — a protected country that serves arsenic the breeding crushed of the endangered oversea turtle Caretta caretta.*

A Longstanding Environmental Violation

After much than a decennary of warnings and ineligible proceedings, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled that Greece has failed to comply with a 2014 judgement ordering it to cease operations and rehabilitate the Zakynthos landfill.

The Court ordered Greece to wage a €5.5 cardinal lump-sum fine to the European Commission and an additional €12,500 for each time of continued non-compliance, underscoring the seriousness of the violation.

According to the ruling, the landfill — located wrong the Zakynthos Marine National Park — had agelong exceeded its capableness and continued to run successful breach of EU discarded absorption directives, endangering some nationalist wellness and the fragile coastal ecosystem.

The Case of the Caretta-Caretta

The marine parkland of Zakynthos is 1 of the astir important nesting sites successful the Mediterranean for the Caretta caretta oversea turtle, a taxon strictly protected nether European and planetary law. Environmental organizations person repeatedly denounced the landfill’s impact, informing that toxic discarded and contamination endanger some marine beingness and section biodiversity.

Despite these concerns, the landfill continued to person discarded until the extremity of 2017 — 3 years aft the archetypal tribunal ruling. “Greece failed to instrumentality the measures required to comply with the 2014 judgment,” the CJEU noted, adding that the authorities neither adopted a valid rehabilitation program nor ceased operations arsenic mandated.

Years of Delays and Warnings

From 2014 to 2023, the European Commission exchanged aggregate rounds of correspondence with the Greek authorities, urging contiguous enactment to adjacent and rehabilitate the site. In 2017, aft concluding that advancement was insufficient, the Commission issued a ceremonial announcement to Greece — the last measurement earlier ineligible action.

When compliance inactive failed to materialize, the Commission brought a caller lawsuit earlier the Court successful 2024, starring to the current judgment, which reaffirms Greece’s breach of EU biology law.

The Court emphasized that by the captious day of June 28, 2017, Greece had not implemented immoderate effectual program ensuring the landfill’s compliance with the EU Landfill Directive (1999/31/EC), nor had it terminated its operations.

A Pattern of Non-Compliance

In assessing the fiscal penalties, the CJEU cited not lone the gravity of the biology risk but besides Greece’s repeated nonaccomplishment to enforce EU discarded absorption laws.

The judgement notes that this is acold from an isolated case: Greece has faced respective infringement proceedings implicit amerciable dumps and discarded sites, reflecting long-standing structural problems successful discarded absorption and biology enforcement.“The infringement poses a superior hazard to the situation and quality health,” the Court stated, stressing that persistent disregard for EU directives undermines some ecological extortion and the Union’s ineligible authority.

Next Steps and Implications

The ruling means that Greece indispensable present either complete the rehabilitation of the Zakynthos site oregon look accumulating regular fines until afloat compliance is achieved. The punishment — €12,500 per time — could rapidly surpass the archetypal lump sum if delays continue.

Environmental advocates hailed the determination arsenic a wake-up telephone for Athens. “It’s unacceptable that a UNESCO-protected marine parkland — location to 1 of the world’s astir iconic taxon — continues to endure from negligence,” said 1 Greek conservationist acquainted with the case.

The Greek authorities has yet to contented an authoritative response, but officials privately admit that the lawsuit highlights the ongoing hostility betwixt economical interests, section discarded absorption challenges, and the country’s biology obligations nether EU law.

Source: pagenews.gr

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