European Commission refers Romania to EU court over failure to close and rehabilitate landfills

The European Commission announced on Friday, January 30, that it decided to refer Romania to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) over its failure to fully comply with EU rules on waste landfills, citing ongoing breaches of obligations under the Landfill Directive and Romania’s Accession Treaty.

EU legislation requires member states to close and rehabilitate landfills that lack permits or fail to meet environmental and operational standards, in order to prevent long-term risks to public health and the environment.

Under a transitional derogation granted at the time of accession, Romania was allowed to keep certain non-compliant landfills in operation until July 16, 2017, after which all such sites were required to be closed and rehabilitated.

While Romanian authorities have reported the closure and rehabilitation of 92 landfills, the Commission noted that 15 sites continued to operate without clear rehabilitation plans.

“This is why the Commission sent a letter of formal notice to Romania in October 2020 and a reasoned opinion in February 2024. Despite some progress, the Romanian authorities have not fully addressed the concerns as 9 sites are still not rehabilitated,” reads the EC’s statement.

“The Commission considers that efforts by the Romanian authorities have, to date, been insufficient and is therefore referring Romania to the Court of Justice of the European Union.”

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