Infringements

It is the Commission’s responsibility under Article 211 of the EC Treaty to ensure that the EC Treaty and measures adopted pursuant to it are correctly applied. The Commission is therefore often referred to as the "Guardian of the Treaty". With over 200 legal acts to monitor in 27 Member States, this is a major task in the environmental field.

These legislative measures cover all environmental sectors, including water, air, nature, waste, noise, and chemicals, and others which deal with cross-cutting issues such as environmental impact assessment, access to environmental information, public participation in environmental decision-making and civil liability for environmental damage. Over the last 30 years, the body of law which makes up the European environmental acquis has steadily expanded although in more recent years it has been reaching maturity. Nevertheless, this body of law is continually under assessment with significant developments having taken place in the chemicals sector, but also in the waste, air and water sectors.

The Commission has now adopted a Communication on implementing European Community Environmental Law which sets out plans to improve the implementation of the European Union's environmental protection laws. This fits within a wider Commission strategy for improving implementation of EU law announced in a previous Communication: A Europe of Results - Applying Community Law of 2007.

• Press release
• Communication on implementing European Community Environmental Law