2024-03-22 20:01:34
The German press on Greece’s referral to the ECJ for the September floods
A few months ago, Greece was faced with one of the biggest natural disasters in its history: the floods of last September left behind dozens of dead, destroyed areas of land and damages amounting to millions of euros. And all this just a few weeks after the uncontrolled forest fires, which affected a large part of the Greek territory.
As the European Commission announced on Wednesday (March 13), Greece will be referred to the Court of Justice of the EU for “failing to complete the review of its river basin management plans” under the relevant European Directive.
“The Commission’s announcement characterizes the measures taken by Greece as ‘inadequate'”, explains FOCUS Online. “Investigations after the rains showed that the country failed to keep up with the developments of climate change and increasingly extreme weather phenomena. […] Moreover, it is not the first time that the Commission was forced to drag Greece to the courts: in a similar case in 2023, Greece was referred again – simply the disputed issue concerned a violation of EU Directives. for rail transport”.
However, as regards the preparation of the member states in the face of climate change, the Commission is not only pressuring Greece through the court system, but also other countries, such as Spain and Cyprus. And he has a very good reason for doing so, because European states seem to be “unable to keep up” with the ongoing climate change. Therefore, “the measures taken by the Commission are correct and justified. Why [από τις εξελίξεις αυτές] it is not only public health or the economy that is at risk. But, as experts fear, the frequency of these phenomena may also endanger social cohesion and political stability”, concludes FOCUS Online.
Source: DW