Urban waste water: Commission decides to refer ITALY back to the Court of Justice for failing to properly treat urban waste water Today, the European Commission decided to refer Italy (INFR(2009)2034) back to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failing to fully comply with a 2014 Court judgment on urban waste water treatment. The Court found that Italy had breached its obligations under the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (Council Directive 91/271/EEC) as 41 agglomerations failed to ensure that urban waste water is adequately collected and treated. Despite significant progress made, urban waste water is still not adequately treated in five agglomerations. The lack of adequate waste water treatment systems for these five agglomerations poses significant risks to human health, inland waters and the marine environment in the environmentally sensitive areas in which the untreated waste water is discharged. Full implementation of the standards set in EU legislation is essential for the protection of human health and of the natural environment. Despite the letter of formal notice under article 260 sent by the Commission to Italy on 17 May 2018, compliance has not yet been reached in the abovementioned five agglomerations. This second referral to Court may result in financial penalties. More information is in the press release.