In its monthly package of infringement decisions, the European Commission on Thursday took 147 decisions, including 39 reasoned opinions and 4 referrals to the European Union's Court of Justice, for failing to comply properly with their obligations under EU law.
The Commission is referring Greece back to the European Court of Justice for poor treatment of hazardous waste. Five years after the first ruling, Greece is still failing to comply with EU standards. The Commission is therefore asking the Court to impose fines, proposing a lump sum of EUR 14904736 and a daily penalty payment of EUR 72864 until the obligations are fulfilled.
The Commission decided to refer Germany to the European Court of Justice regarding its rules on VAT refund applications which discriminate against non-EU operators.
Under German VAT legislation, taxable persons established outside the EU must personally sign the application form to be refunded the VAT charged on goods or services.
Operators established in Germany or in the EU, on the other hand, can authorise a third person to sign or submit their refund form to recover VAT.
The Commission sent a reasoned opinion to Germany in September 2012 asking for these rules to be amended. However the German authorities did not bring their rules into conformity with EU law.
The European Commission is taking action against Spain before the Court of Justice because 20 Spanish ports have yet to adopt and implement the port security plan.
The European Commission takes the Netherlands to Court for failing to fully comply with EU rules on VAT exemptions for water sports activities.
The Commission has formally requested Belgium, Luxembourg, Latvia, The Netherlands and Slovenia to take action to ensure full compliance with their obligations under EU legislation on oil stocks.
The European Commission has requested Estonia, Greece and Hungary to bring their national rules in line with Directive on railway safety.
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Political News
December 19, 2025 15:10 ET U.S. inflation data and interest rate decisions by major central banks were the highlights of this busy week for economics news flow. Employment data and survey results on the housing markets also gained attention in the U.S. In Europe, the European Central Bank and Bank of England announced their policy decisions and macroeconomic projections.