Judgment of the Court (Second Chamber) of 6 November 2008 (reference for a preliminary ruling from the Conseil d'État — France) — Association nationale pour la protection des eaux et rivières — TOS v Ministère de l'écologie, du développement et de l'aménagement durables

(Case C-381/07) (1)

(Pollution of the aquatic environment - Directive 2006/11/EC - Article 6 - Dangerous substances - Discharges - Prior authorisation - Fixing of emission standards - Declaratory scheme - Fish farms)

(2008/C 327/07)

Language of the case: French

Referring court

Conseil d'État

Parties to the main proceedings

Applicant: Association nationale pour la protection des eaux et rivières — TOS

Defendant: Ministère de l'écologie, du développement et de l'aménagement durables

Re:

Reference for a preliminary ruling — Conseil d'État — Interpretation of Article 6 of Directive 2006/11/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 February 2006 on pollution caused by certain dangerous substances discharged into the aquatic environment of the Community (OJ 2006 L 64, p. 52) — Need for prior authorisation, laying down emission standards, for all discharges into water which may contain dangerous substances — Compatibility of national rules replacing prior authorisation with a mere declaratory scheme in respect of fish farms coupled, however, with a reference to the applicable environmental quality standards and a right for the competent administrative authority to object to the commencement of operations or to impose limits on discharges specific to the facility concerned

Operative part of the judgment

Article 6 of Directive 2006/11/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 February 2006 on pollution caused by certain dangerous substances discharged into the aquatic environment of the Community cannot be interpreted as allowing the Member States, once programmes to reduce water pollution including environmental quality standards have been adopted under that article, to introduce a declaratory scheme, in respect of facilities regarded as being low-polluting in nature, subject to a reference to those standards and a right for the administrative authority to object to the commencement of the operations or to impose limits on discharges specific to the facility concerned.

(1)  OJ C 269, 10.11.2007.