Today, the European Commission decided to refer Greece to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failing to provide updated flood risk and flood hazard maps as required by Directive 2007/60/EC on the assessment and management of flood risks (‘Floods Directive’).
Article 14(2) of this Directive obliges Member States to review, and if necessary, update, flood hazard maps and flood risk maps by 22 December 2019. and according to its Article 15(1), Member States had to communicate to the Commission the review and where applicable, the update of those maps three months after that date, i.e. by 22 March 2020.
Flood hazard maps and flood risk maps are key instruments for flood risk management. They help raise awareness about areas at risk of flooding and help communities develop strategies for reducing these risks. Civil protection and first responders can use the maps to plan emergency responses and they can also support insurance decisions. The maps also support land-use planning and urban development, particularly to avoid creating new risks.
As the Commission did not receive the required information from Greece, it sent a letter of formal notice to Greece in February 2022, followed by a reasoned opinion in September 2022. To date, Greece has still not complied with its obligations under the Directive as the existing maps have still not been reviewed.
Greece is the only Member State that has failed to comply with this obligation. The maps are essential for the preparation of robust flood risk management plans, which should have been established by 22 December 2021 and reported by 22 March 2022. An infringement procedure is also opened against Greece (INFR(2022)2191) for late adoption of these flood risk management plans.
The Commission considers that efforts by the Greek authorities have to date been unsatisfactory and insufficient and is therefore referring Greece to the Court of Justice of the European Union.
Background
A letter of formal notice was sent in February 2022 to seven Member States that had failed to comply with the obligations of the Floods Directive related to the updating of flood risk and flood hazard maps (Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Cyprus, Lithuania, Romania, Luxemburg, and Slovakia). Luxembourg complied and the case was closed. For the remaining six Member States, reasoned opinions were sent in September 2022. All Member States have now complied with the exception of Greece.
Initially, Greece announced that it would fulfil its obligations by June 2023. However, before summer, Greece explained that compliance is not foreseen before the end of 2023. As the initial calendar was not respected, the Commission decided to proceed to the next stage of the infringement procedure by referring the case to the Court.
Source: ec.europe.eu