Cyprus Mail 19 May 2022 - by Cyprus News Agency
The European Commission has sent four reasoned opinions to Cyprus, one step before the case could be referred to the Court of Justice of the European Union.
In its infringement package for May, the reasoned opinions deal with the transposition of the directive on the limitation of emissions of certain pollutants into the air from medium combustion plants and of EU rules on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources set out in Directive.
The European Green Deal, with its Zero Pollution ambition, puts emphasis on cutting air pollution, which is among the key factors negatively affecting human health. The Directive had to be fully transposed into national law by 19 December 2017. In September 2021, the Commission sent a letter of formal notice to Cyprus on the matter.
Cyprus has now 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.
Cyprus is also one of ten countries to which the Commission has decided to send a reasoned opinion for not having fully transposed EU rules on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources.
The Commission is sending a reasoned opinion to Cyprus as well as to Croatia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal and Romania.
This directive provides the legal framework for the development of renewable energy in electricity, heating and cooling and transport in the EU. It sets an EU-level binding target for 2030 of at least 32 per cent renewable energy and includes measures to ensure support for renewable energy is cost-effective, and to simplify administrative procedures for renewable energy projects.
Another two reasoned opinions concern the country’s failure to notify the Commission of transposition measures on copyright and related rights applicable to certain online transmissions and in the Digital Single Market.
The May infringement procedure also includes a reference to an infringement case against Cyprus which has been open since February, when the Commission sent a letter of formal notice (the first stage of the process) for not correctly transposing to national legislation the EU rules on the fight against fraud on the Union’s financial interests by means of criminal law.
These rules, which are part of the Commission’s broader anti-fraud strategy, protect the EU’s budget by harmonising the definitions, sanctions, jurisdiction rules and limitation periods related to fraud and other offences affecting the EU’s financial interests.
