Commission of the European Communities v. Italian Republic Country/Territory European Union, Italy Type of court International court Date Nov 23, 2006 Source UNEP, InforMEA Court name European Court of Justice Seat of court Luxembourg Judge Timmermans, C.W.ASchintgen, R.Kuris, P.Makarczyk, J.Bay Larsen, L.Ruiz-Jarabo Colomer, D. Reference number C-486/04 Language Italian Subject Waste & hazardous substances, Environment gen. Keyword Environmental standards EIA Abstract In a case against Italy the Commission challenged Italian exemptions from the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive for a waste development facility and a biomass incineration plant project in the village of Massafra in the region of Puglia. On 23 November 2006 the ECJ ruled against Italy stating that waste recovery operations are also covered by the EIA-Directive 85/337/EEC amended by Directive 97/11/EEC. It thus appeared of no relevance that the action of recovering waste is actually beneficial for the environment, because the installations could still have an impact on the environment. References Cites Council Directive 85/337/EEC on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment. Legislation | European Union | 1985 Keyword: EIA, Authorization/permit, Land-use planning, Legal proceedings/administrative proceedings Source: FAO, FAOLEX