May 2 (SeeNews) - The European Commission said it has referred Slovenia to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failing to close and rehabilitate 28 illegal landfills.
Under the Landfill Directive, the initial deadline for closing the landfills was July 2009, the Commission said in its April package of infringement decisions.
Slovenia has made insignificant progress since April 2016, when it received a reasoned opinion urging the authorities to adequately deal with 35 uncontrolled sites, the Commission noted.
The Landfill Directive requires EU member states to recover and dispose of waste in a manner that does not endanger human health and the environment, prohibiting the abandonment, dumping or uncontrolled disposal of waste.
If the Court of Justice of the EU finds Slovenia to have breached the EU law, the national authorities will be obliged to take action to comply with the court's judgement. If they fail to do so, the Commission may refer the country back to the court and propose to impose financial penalties, which can be either a lump sum and/or a daily payment.
The Commission also said it sent a reasoned opinion to Slovenia, urging the country to fully transpose EU rules regarding language requirements of train drivers. If Slovenia fails to act within two months, the European Commission may refer the case to the Court of Justice of the EU.