Germany has avoided fines of millions of euros in a dispute with the EU over nitrate-polluted water. On Thursday, a spokeswoman for the European Commission confirmed to the DPA news agency that the EC had completed the relevant proceedings against the Federal Republic of Germany. On Wednesday Berlin introduced new fertilization regulations.
According to information from the German Ministry of Agriculture, in the event of a conviction Germany would face a fine of at least €11 million and a fine of up to around €800,000 per day. The fine could be imposed retroactively to the date of the first judgment in 2018.
The dispute over pollution caused by fertilizers has been going on for years. The European Court of Justice already convicted Germany in June 2018 of violating EU law because the government had done too little to reduce the amount of nitrates in groundwater for many years. Nitrates mainly come from fertilizers used in agriculture. Excess is harmful to the environment and poses a health risk to humans.
Important but harmful
Nitrate is important for plant growth. However, when used in excess, it pollutes groundwater, streams, rivers and seas. Through chemical processes, it is transformed into nitrite, which is harmful to humans. During the drinking water purification process, it is often necessary to filter the nitrate from the groundwater to meet quality standards.
Already in 2020, after difficult negotiations, stricter fertilization regulations came into force in Germany. However, the European Commission criticized them in mid-2021. EU Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius wrote to then Environment Minister Svenja Schulze (SPD) and former Minister of Agriculture Julia Klöckner (CDU) that the fertilization rules introduced in 2020 may not be in line with the judgment of the EU Court of Justice . The EU commissioner accused Germany of incorrectly labeling areas with high nitrate pollution in groundwater and unhealthy nitrate accumulation in food.
(DPA/jar)
Source: Gazeta
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