Today, the European Commission decided to refer Romania to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failing to comply with its obligations on the landfill of waste under the Treaty of Accession for Romania and the Landfill Directive (Directive 1999/31/EC as amended by Directive (EU) 2018/850).

The Directive requires Member States to take the necessary measures to close and rehabilitate landfills that have not been granted a permit or failed to meet the operational conditions set out by law. These obligations are key to preventing long-term risks to human health and the environment caused by uncontrolled waste disposal and landfilling of untreated waste.

The transitional derogation granted under the Accession Treaty allowed certain landfills to operate until 16 July 2017, after which all non-compliant landfills were to be closed and rehabilitated. Romania has reported that 92 landfills have been closed and rehabilitated, but 15 sites are still operating without clear rehabilitation plans.

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