CJEU confirms that past governments failed to act on landfill closures

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) confirmed that past Slovak governments failed to act on closing landfills in compliance with EU regulations. Environment Minister Tomáš Taraba acknowledged the ruling but clarified that it does not impose financial sanctions on Slovakia. The Environment Ministry is now working on legislative changes to ensure Slovakia meets its obligations swiftly. The ECJ ruling relates to a dispute between the European Commission and Slovakia over 21 landfills that did not meet the requirements of the EU Landfill Directive. Taraba emphasized ongoing negotiations with the European Commission, with only a few landfills left needing a solution. He criticized previous governments for the lack of waste management infrastructure, while highlighting efforts to build modern incinerators for proper waste disposal. The case stems from a 1999 EU directive that required landfills to close by 2009, with legal proceedings initiated in 2023 due to Slovakia's non-compliance.

Source: TASR