Greece rapped by European Court over landfills with 11.4-mln-euro fine
As Greece struggles to scrape together cash reserves to meet its commitments, it faces a fine of 11.4 million euros from the European Court of Justice for failing to close down dozens of illegal landfills in line with European waste management directives.
The fine must be paid on June 2, just three days before Athens faces a 300-million-euro repayment to the International Monetary Fund. The penalty follows a ruling last December that imposed on Greece a 10-million-euro fine for failing to close down its illegal landfills.
The ruling ordered the country to pay an additional 14.5 million euros for every six months that the illegal dumps remain operative. It also ordered it to pay 80,000 euros for each active landfill and 40,000 euros for each inactive one. With 57 active landfills and 172 inactive dumps, Greece faces the 11.4-million-euro penalty with the 14.5-million-euro fine looming.
