Commission of the European Communities v.United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland,supported by:French Republic Country/Territory European Union Type of court Others Date Apr 12, 2005 Source UNEP, InforMEA Court name European Court of Justice Seat of court Luxembourg Judge Skouris, V.Jann, P.Timmermans, C.W.A.Rosas, A.Silva de Lapuerta, R.Borg Barthet, A.Colneric, N.von Bahr, S.Cunha,Rodrigues, J.N.Kuris, P.Juhász, E.Arestis, G.Ileic, M.Geelhoed, L.A. Language English Subject Waste & hazardous substances Keyword Hazardous substances Effluent waste standards Waste disposal Nuclear energy Ecosystem preservation Standards Hazardous waste Abstract The ECJ ruled that military installations fall outside the scope of the EU Euratom Treaty on nuclear matters. The judgement opens up a gap in EU safeguards on how member states manage radioactive waste and marks a rare legal defeat for the European Commission, which complained that the UK government had failed to inform it of plans to decommission a military nuclear reactor in London. Article 37 of Euratom Treaty requires member states to provide information on "any plan for the disposal of radioactive waste" to enable the EU executive to assess whether neighbouring countries could suffer radioactive contamination. The Court notes that the treaty's preamble makes it clear that it aims to promote the use of nuclear energy "for peaceful purposes". Given also the absence of any derogation laying down detailed rules to protect member states' "essential interests", "activities falling within the military sphere are outside the scope" of Euratom.