Source: European Parliament
By judgment of 21 March 2019 in C-498/17[1] the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) declared that Italy has failed to comply with Article 14 of the Landfill Directive[2] in respect of 44 so called ‘existing landfills’.
Given that by 2022 compliance had not been achieved, as only 32 out the 44 landfills for which Italy was condemned by the CJEU in C-498/17 had been closed in accordance with the requirements of the directive, a Letter of Formal Notice (LFN) under Article 260 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU was issued on 6 April 2022[3]. The landfill CO.BE.MA. in Apulia in Contrada Tufarelle is among the 12 remaining non-compliant landfills included in the LFN adopted under Article 260 of the Treaty.
The Commission is closely monitoring compliance with the Court’s ruling. According to the latest information shared by the Italian authorities, the closure of the landfill CO.BE.MA. in Apulia in Contrada Tufarelle is expected by 15 May 2025.
The Commission is not aware of other landfills in Contrada Tufarelle. In any case, it is for the Italian competent authorities to give correct application to the relevant EU rules. In its role as guardian of the Treaties, the Commission may decide to intervene if systemic issues with application of these provisions of EU law arise.
- [1] https://curia.europa.eu/juris/liste.jsf?language=EN&num=C-498/17
- [2] Council Directive 1999/31/EC of 26 April 1999 on the landfill of waste, OJ L 182, 16.7.1999, p. 1-19, amended by Directive (EU) 2018/850 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2018, OJ L 150, 14.6.2018, p. 100-108.
- [3] INFR(2011)2215, https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/inf_22_1769