The European Commission filed a complaint against Estonia to the European Court of justice because Estonia has not fulfilled its obligation to adopt the legal norms enacted in the directive on ship-generated waste and cargo residues, writes the National Broadcasting/LETA.
Press spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Kersti Luha stated that Estonia has failed to transpose the directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the port reception facilities for ship-generated waste and cargo residues that was adopted in 2000. "The Riigikogu is currently processing the Ports Act for transposing the directive and it has been through the first reading," she explained.
According to Luha, Estonia will have to send a response to the court with its explanations by March 20 at the latest. "As a rule, an oral hearing follows the written proceedings.
However, if legal norms necessary for the transposition of the directive will be adopted before the oral hearing, it is possible that the Commission would abandon its lawsuit and the case would be terminated without making a ruling against Estonia," explained the press spokesperson.
Thus far the court cases initiated against Estonia have been solved during written proceedings, after which the Commission has dropped the complaint and the cases have been terminated.