March infringements package: key decisions

March infringements package: key decisions

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... HomePress corner March infringements package: key decisions

Available languages: българскиčeštinadanskDeutscheestiελληνικάEnglishespañolfrançaisGaeilgehrvatskiitalianolatviešulietuviųmagyarMaltiNederlandspolskiportuguêsromânăslovenčinaslovenščinasuomisvenska Infringement decisions Mar 11, 2026 Brussels 32 min read

March infringements package: key decisions

Overview by policy area

In its regular package of infringement decisions, the European Commission takes legal action against Member States that fail to comply with their obligations under EU law. These decisions, covering various EU policy areas, aim to ensure the proper application of EU law for the benefit of citizens and businesses. The key decisions taken by the Commission are presented below and grouped by policy area. The Commission is also closing 44 cases where the issues with the Member States concerned have been solved. In these cases, the Commission does not have to pursue the infringement procedure further.

The Commission's enforcement activities and Member States' compliance with EU law can be followed through interactive maps and customisable graphs. For more details on the history of a case or to access the full database of infringement decisions, the infringement decisions' register is open for consultation. And more information on the EU infringement procedure can be found in the following Q&A.

1. Environment

(For more information: Anna-Kaisa Itkonen – Tel.: +32 2 295 75 01; Maëlys Dreux – Tel.: +32 229 54673)

Letters of formal notice

Commission calls on Greece to update its national air pollution control programme

The European Commission decided to open an infringement procedure by sending a letter of formal notice to Greece (INFR(2026)2006) for failing to update its national air pollution control programme under the Directive on the reduction of national emissions of certain atmospheric pollutants (NEC Directive) (Directive (EU) 2016/2284). The NEC Directive sets national emission reduction commitments for several air pollutants to be achieved by each Member State each year between 2020 and 2029, with more ambitious reduction commitments from 2030 onwards. It also requires Member States to adopt national air pollution control programmes (NAPCPs) setting out measures to meet those commitments. The NEC Directive requires Member States to update their NAPCPs at least every four years. These updates show the progress made by Member States in implementing the programme and how they keep on track to meet their commitments. This contributes to reducing emissions of air pollutants, thus improving air quality. Despite several reminders, Greece has to date not submitted the required updated NAPCP to the Commission. The Commission is therefore sending a letter of formal notice to Greece, which now has two months to respond and address the shortcomings raised by the Commission. In the absence of a satisfactory response, the Commission may decide to issue a reasoned opinion.

Commission calls on France to ensure compliance with the Water Framework Directive

The European Commission decided to open an infringement procedure by sending a letter of formal notice to France (INFR(2026)2201) for failing to correctly transpose the Water Framework Directive (Directive 2000/60/EC). As underlined in the Water Resilience Strategy, full implementation of EU water quality requirements is key to protecting human health and the environment, and strengthening the EU's competitiveness and resilience. The Directive aims to ensure that water bodies which are heavily modified, for instance, due to hydropower plants, reach a ‘good ecological potential' by 2015, or, in case of a derogation, by 2021 or 2027. To achieve this, the Directive requires Member States to define the ecological quality of such rivers and, consequently, determine what measures, if any, need to be undertaken to achieve better quality within the deadlines. These assessments are crucial to ensure the EU's water resilience. However, French law does not transpose all quality factors laid down in the Directive. In particular, French law does not take account of fish populations and river continuity (for instance, solutions to allow migratory fish to overcome dams) when assessing the quality of such rivers. Consequently, French law does not ensure that the quality of such rivers is correctly assessed. The Commission is therefore sending a letter of formal notice to France, which now has two months to respond and address the shortcomings raised by the Commission. In the absence of a satisfactory response, the Commission may decide to issue a reasoned opinion.

Commission calls on Lithuania to correctly transpose the Waste Framework Directive

The European Commission decided to open an infringement procedure by sending a letter of formal notice to Lithuania (INFR(2026)2004) for failing to correctly transpose the Waste Framework Directive (Directive 2008/98/EC as amended by Directive 2018/851/EU), which aims to prevent or reduce the generation of waste. The amended Directive sets binding targets for recycling and preparing municipal waste for reuse. It also introduces requirements for Member States to improve their waste management systems and the efficiency of resource use. These requirements are crucial for the EU's competitiveness and the transition to a circular economy. The deadline for Member States to transpose the amended Directive into their national legislation was 5 July 2020. Lithuania failed to correctly transpose several provisions of the amended Directive. This concerns, among others, some requirements linked to the prevention of waste, rules on the calculation of the attainment of the targets, requirements for waste-oils and bio-waste, content of the waste management plans, and the extended producer responsibility scheme. The Commission is therefore sending a letter of formal notice to Lithuania, which now has two months to respond and address the shortcomings raised by the Commission. In the absence of a satisfactory response, the Commission may decide to issue a reasoned opinion.

Commission calls on Romania to correctly transpose the Seveso III Directive

The European Commission decided to open an infringement procedure by sending a letter of formal notice to Romania (INFR(2026)2003) for failing to correctly transpose the Seveso III Directive (Directive 2012/18/EU). The Directive applies to more than 12,000 industrial installations in the European Union, such as chemical and petrochemical industry, as well as fuel wholesale and storage sectors. It aims to prevent major accidents (for instance major emission, fire, or explosion) involving dangerous substances, especially chemicals, and to limit their negative impact on human health and the environment. The Commission identified shortcomings in Romania's national rules transposing the Directive. First, while the Directive obliges companies to reassess risks whenever changes could affect accident hazards, Romanian law does not cover situations where the physical form of a dangerous substance changes – even though such a change can significantly alter the risk profile of an installation. Second, the rules on public participation are not correctly transposed into Romanian law, omitting the reference to siting decisions, thus restricting the public's ability to participate in land-use planning processes in areas near installations where dangerous substances are present. Finally, Romanian rules do not provide specific timeframes for informing and consulting the public, while the Directive requires reasonable and effective consultation periods. The Commission is therefore sending a letter of formal notice to Romania, which now has two months to respond and address the shortcomings raised by the Commission. In the absence of a satisfactory response, the Commission may decide to issue a reasoned opinion.

Commission calls on Portugal and Romania to submit their six-year report under the Invasive Alien Species Regulation

The European Commission decided to open infringement procedures by sending a letter of formal notice to Portugal (INFR(2026)2001) and Romania (INFR(2026)2002) for failing to transmit their respective reports due by 1 June 2025 under the Invasive Alien Species Regulation (IAS) (Regulation (EU) 1143/2014). The IAS Regulation establishes EU-wide measures aiming to prevent, minimise and mitigate the adverse impacts of invasive alien species on biodiversity and ecosystem services, as well as related impacts on human health and the economy. Member States must update and transmit to the Commission every six years information on the national surveillance and official control systems, the distribution of invasive alien species of Union concern, action plans addressing priority pathways, and aggregated information on eradication and management measures, among other elements. These reports give a clear picture of the implementation and potential challenges of the Regulation and contribute to the objectives related to the protection of environment, health and economy. Portugal and Romania have, to date, not transmitted the required report. The Commission is therefore sending letters of formal notice to Portugal and Romania, which now have two months to respond and address the shortcomings raised by the Commission. In the absence of a satisfactory response, the Commission may decide to issue a reasoned opinion.

Commission calls on Sweden to comply with its obligations under the Ambient Air Quality Directive

The European Commission decided to open an infringement procedure by sending a letter of formal notice to Sweden (INFR(2025)2206) for failing to comply with its obligations under the Ambient Air Quality Directive (Directive 2008/50/EC). The Ambient Air Quality Directive sets limit values for several air pollutants to be complied with by Member States, including for particulate matter (PM10). PM10 can cause significant negative health effects, in particular on the respiratory and cardiovascular system. In line with the EU's zero pollution ambition and in situations where concentrations of PM10 in the air exceed these limit values, the Directive requires Member States to adopt air quality plans to achieve compliance as soon as possible. In the air quality zone ‘North Sweden' (zone SW1), the limit values for PM10 have been exceeded for seven years, in particular in Östersund. The air quality plans adopted in several cities in the North Sweden region do not contain sufficient measures to end the PM10 exceedances in North Sweden. The Commission is therefore sending a letter of formal notice to Sweden, which now has two months to respond and address the shortcomings raised by the Commission. In the absence of a satisfactory response, the Commission may decide to issue a reasoned opinion.

Commission calls on Germany to correctly transpose the Drinking Water Directive

The European Commission decided to open an infringement procedure by sending a letter of formal notice to Germany (INFR(2025)2210) for failing to correctly transpose the Drinking Water Directive (Directive (EU) 2020/2184). As underlined in the Water Resilience Strategy, full implementation of EU water quality requirements is key to protecting human health and the environment. The recast Drinking Water Directive aims to protect human health by providing cleaner tap water, updating water quality standards, and tackling pollutants of concern, such as endocrine disruptors and microplastics. The Directive also includes provisions to reduce water leakages when now, on average, 23% of the drinking water in the EU is lost during distribution. Member States were required to transpose the Directive into national law and comply with its provisions by 12 January 2023. Germany has not correctly transposed the Directive regarding certain risk assessment rules and on public access to certain information, including on water monitoring and corrective measures taken. The Commission is therefore sending a letter of formal notice to Germany, which now has two months to respond and address the shortcomings raised by the Commission. In the absence of a satisfactory response, the Commission may decide to issue a reasoned opinion.

Reasoned opinions

Commission calls on Austria to take the necessary steps to protect and manage its Natura 2000 sites

Today, the European Commission decided to send a reasoned opinion to Austria (INFR(2022)2056) for failing to comply with the Habitats (Directive 92/43/EEC) and Birds Directives (Directive 2009/147/EC). Member States must designate special areas of conservation under the Habitats Directive and special protection areas under the Birds Directive. These sites become part of the Natura 2000 network, which is a EU-wide network of protected areas, set up to ensure the protection and conservation of Europe's most valuable biodiversity. The sites must be protected based on conservation objectives and measures that will maintain or restore the protected species and habitats to a favourable conservation status. These conservation objectives and measures are key requirements to manage the Natura 2000 network and to protect biodiversity across the EU. The Commission sent a letter of formal notice to Austria in September 2022. Following this, Austria designated the sites under the Habitats Directive as special areas of conservation and improved some of the conservation objectives and measures for those sites. However, in many cases, these conservation objectives and measures are still not specific enough to meet the requirements of the habitats and species concerned. The situation is similar in some special protection areas under the Birds Directive. If the site conservation objectives are not specific about the habitats and species concerned, the authorities cannot ensure that the impacts of plans and projects in the area are appropriately assessed, before their approval. Therefore, the Commission has decided to issue a reasoned opinion to Austria, which now has two months to respond and take the necessary measures. Otherwise, the Commission may decide to refer the case to the Court of Justice of the European Union.

Commission call