Parliamentary question - E-003967/2016Parliamentary question
E-003967/2016
European Parliament

Pollution of Western Beach, Gibraltar

12.5.2016

Answer in writing

Question for written answer E-003967-16
to the Commission
Rule 130
Molly Scott Cato (Verts/ALE)

I write further to my previous Written Question E-015252/2015 regarding the pollution of Western Beach in Gibraltar[1], which is reported to have been caused by wastewater pollution from municipalities located in Campo de Gibraltar County (including La Línea de la Concepción) in Spain.

The response from the Commissioner of 25 February 2016 suggests that the Commission is considering taking legal action on this matter, potentially by combining this case (of non‐compliance with an EU directive) with an ongoing pilot case dealing with other non‐compliant areas in Spain.

However, any further delay in the case of pollution on Western Beach is unacceptable. The Spanish Government has given assurances in the past that it has dealt with the discharge at Western Beach, which is clearly not the case.

Will the Commission now take specific action regarding pollution on Western Beach and in La Línea, by treating this infringement as a separate and individual infringement (rather than grouping it together with other Spanish instances of non-compliance with the relevant directive), on the basis that (a) the La Línea infringement has a cross-border element to it, and (b) it is a long-standing problem which needs to be quickly resolved?

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