Cyprus faces hefty EU fines for lack of wastewater treatment plants

Cyprus faces crippling fines for not complying with an EU directive, this time it has failed in its obligation to construct urban wastewater treatment plants for residential areas with a population of over 2,000.

Yet again, Cyprus has been called to appear before an EU Court to answer its case.

As a result of failing to comply with the directive issued back in 2012, the European Commission filed a lawsuit on 20/3/2019 against the Republic of Cyprus in the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).

“Cyprus has failed to provide a collecting system for a number of agglomerations and has also failed to ensure that the urban wastewater entering collecting systems is subject to appropriate treatment,” reads the relevant decision of the EU.

The Republic of Cyprus is expected to be hit with a fine of tens or even hundreds of thousands of euros each day it continues to neglect its obligation.

Already two countries (Greece and Spain) have been condemned by the CJEU for similar delays in compliance and were required to pay large sums for each day of delay.

Talking to the Financial Mirror Green MP Charalambos Theopemptou said Cyprus has once again followed its tactic of pushing obligations further down the road, provoking the European Union to take harsh measures.

“Cyprus has been avoiding its obligations, only to comply either at the last minute or after fines have been imposed. We did the same landfills. We were instructed to close all landfills and send waste to be processed at special units.”

“We only complied when the EU handed us a EUR 13,000 a day fine for each landfill we had in operation. The next day the government had barricaded the sites,” said Theopemptou.

The Urban Wastewater Directive (Council Directive 91/271/EEC) aims to protect people’s health and the environment by requiring that urban wastewater (domestic and wastewater from certain industrial sectors) is collected and treated before discharge.

“Towns and cities are required to put in place the necessary infrastructure in order to collect and treat their urban wastewater. Untreated wastewater can put human health at risk and pollute lakes, rivers, soil and coastal and groundwater,” reads the EU infringement procedure for Cyprus.

Cyprus had the obligation deriving from the Council Directive 91/271/EEC to install such urban wastewater treatment facilities by the end of 31/12/2012.

“However, it has not only failed to do so, but they have been asking for postponement upon postponement and finally the EU had no other choice than to set in motion an infringement procedure,” said Theopemptou.

Indeed, the European Commission opened the infringement proceedings by sending a letter of formal notice to the Cypriot authorities in July 2017 and a reasoned opinion in June 2018.

Following EC’s reasoned opinion, Cyprus submitted an action plan that foresaw the construction of networks for the collection of urban wastewater and treatment stations for 57 residential areas by 2027.

“The EC this time did not fall for our new promises for complying in nine years and proceeded with legal action,” said the MP.

Chairman of the Greens and fellow MP George Perdikes, had addressed a formal question to the Minister of Agriculture on 18 March this year asking for an explanation as to why the Republic did not comply with its obligations towards the EU regarding urban wastewater treatment.

Theopemptou noted that the Agriculture Minister Costas Kadis got back to the Greens four months later on 24 July claiming that due to the economic crisis which had hit the country, the ministry did not have the necessary funds to implement the road map.

The Minister’s written reply said, “the state was not obliged to cover the networks in areas which fall under the jurisdiction of a municipality, and the affected municipalities do not have the necessary funds to do so”.

The Minister also noted that delays are being recorded due to some tenders being contested by stakeholders at the Tender Review Authority.

Kadis said the Ministry is working on a road map to overcome difficulties and that the state plans to cover the funds needed for wastewater collection networks in rural areas, while also financing-related projects in areas under the jurisdiction of municipalities.

He promised to intervene to resolve issues holding up tenders at the Tender Review Authority and the Administrative Court.