Court of Justice confirms 'polluter pays' principle

摘要

Operators with installations close to a polluted area may be held liable for the pollution, ruled the EU Court of Justice, on 9 March, thus confirming the 'polluter pays' principle. The Administrative Court of Sicily submitted a request for a preliminary ruling to the EU court concerning interpretation of Directive 2004/3 5/EC on environmental liability after several petroleum and petrochemical firms with installations in the Priolo Gargallo region brought actions against decisions ordering them to clean up pollution of the Augusta roadstead.