Spain is accumulating a sum of 90 million euros from the European Union

As a result of the erroneous depuration of the leftover water from urban areas, the situation in Spain is made more complicated by the presence of quebraderos. As of right now, the amount of the fine that has been levied by the European Union (UE) against this country for violating the Directive on the Treatment of Urban Waste Water in a number of urban areas has reached 90 million euros, and it is still being recouped up to this day. The sentencia issued by the Tribunal de Justicia de la Unión Europea (TJUE) in 2018 stipulated that seventeen urban aglomeraciones were required to rectify the inadequate treatment of contaminated water in order to prevent the economic sanctions from being imposed. As of today, there are four locations (Matalascañas in Huelva, Alhaurín el Grande in Málaga, Barbate in Cádiz, and Valle de Güimar in Santa Cruz de Tenerife) that are in the process of completing the launch of their purifier. Furthermore, according to their new timetables, they are able to proceed with the launch until at least the beginning of 2026. During the current year, there has been a revision of the directive that was cited, which has been approved with criteria that are even more stringent. Furthermore, the amount of the tax could continue to increase for Spain.

In accordance with the directive, all member states are required to have recognition systems in place for all aglomerations that have at least two thousand residents. Despite the fact that the amount of the fee dates back to 2018, it is undeniable that the disagreement between Spain and the community authorities on this environmental matter has been going on for decades without being resolved. As a result of the poor situation regarding the purification of residual water in 43 urban areas, the first sentence was issued in 2011. This decision was made in accordance with the directive that was issued in Europe in 1991. For the purpose of addressing this issue, the year 2000 was designated as the limit for the treatment that was to be implemented. On the other hand, the country arrived at the year 2017 with seventeen urban aglomeraciones that still do not meet the minimum requirements. An additional year later, when the sentencing of the TJUE was made public, the number of municipalities that were found to be in violation was reduced to eight.

In accordance with the legislation, the judge ordered Spain to pay a fine of twelve million euros and a coercive fine of eleven million euros for each semester that does not comply with the law. The semi-annual fine was reduced to three million euros as a result of the passage of time and the reduction in the number of municipalities that committed violations. As Gonzalo Delacámara, director of the IE Centre for Water and Climate Adaptation, explains, "At the present time, twenty percent of municipalities that have more than two thousand residents are not complying with the directive." This translates to four hundred and twenty-seven municipalities.

The most restrictive normative rule

Furthermore, in addition to increasing the fee every six months, Spain is confronted with additional challenges that are associated with the residual water from metropolitan areas. Towards the end of the month of December in the year 2023, the European Commission made the decision to bring the country before the TJUE for violating the directive that was cited. De acuerdo con las autoridades comunitarias, there are 29 aglomeraciones in which Spain continues to be required to guarantee the presence of fecal water collection systems. Furthermore, there are 225 aglomeraciones in which the country continues to fail to provide the required level of treatment for the feces that have been collected after the treatment has been completed, as stated by the European Commission.

Without being satisfied with the existing legislation, the European Union has agreed to extend the normative to all aglomerations beginning with one thousand inhabitants until the year 2035. According to Delacámara, "it is possible to anticipate that the degree of noncompliance in Spain will increase" as a result of this renewed approach. As of the month of March, which was the date on which the agreement was finalized, the countries who are members of the European Union have a time frame of three years to implement the normative into their legislation. However, certain articles may have to wait until the 31st of December in the year 2035.

A sum that continues to increase in value

The increase in the amount of the fee will be contingent upon the date at which the construction of the four purifiers is completed, which is necessary in order to conform to the conditions that have been imposed. However, the timetables that are being managed have led to the belief that Spain will continue to pay until at least the beginning of February, following the completion of the infrastructure in Guatemala. Durante la última reunión de la Comisión de Seguimiento de las obras de la new estación de puradora de aguas residuales (EDAR), a decision was made to invest 35 millones of euros in order to put the project into motion. This decision has the potential to be delayed until February of 2026. As a result of having suffered two fecales in 2021, the case of Matalascañas is the most rational for the reason that it poses a risk to the National Park of Doñana. Esta urbanización costera has been waiting for its depuradora for a period of 28 years, but the project that is being proposed involves the invasion of up to 3,3 kilometers with tuberías in order to facilitate the flow of feces-producing water brought about by the center of visitors, among other controversial issues.

On the other hand, the construction of the third purifier in Malaga was approved in October of 2021, formalized in March of 2022, and is currently in the process of being revised beginning in the beginning of 2023. In the most recent months, the Junta de Andalucía has confirmed that the construction of the infrastructure will begin in the year 2024. As a result, the beginning of operations will have to be delayed until the following year. The only thing that the purifier of Canary Islands needs is for the water that is required to be transported from the three sanitation networks of the three municipalities to which it will be delivered in order to begin functioning. Although this is the case, the Canary Government is required to pay a million and a half euros in order to maintain the installation.