EU Commission Sues Germany Over Groundwater Pollution Dangerous for Human Health

While German authorities got used to scolding other EU states for their shortcomings, Germany itself has now become subject to severe criticism. The EU Commission has filed a lawsuit against Germany amid high levels of nitrate pollution in the country's groundwater that could have a serious negative impact on human health, German media reported.

The European Commission is planning to bring Germany to the European Court of Justice for breaching regulations on nitrate pollution, Der Tagesschau reported, referring to WDR.

For many years nitrate groundwater pollution has been increasing in many regions of Germany. The water quality has not improved over the years, but has significantly worsened. The main reason behind this has been extensive agriculture activities as well as high levels of fertilization with manure.

In a 40-page complaint, the EU Commission analyzed German environmental and agricultural policy proving its conclusions with an annex of 1500 pages.

According to the report, Germany has been ignoring the problem for years. In 2012, the federal government adopted new regulations on the protection of the groundwater from nitrate pollution, but the research proved that the existing regulations were ineffective.

The report also said that this is a clear violation of the EU's nitrates directive, which has been in force since 1991.

The dispute over nitrate pollution in the EU is not the first of its kind. Earlier, France was also accused by the European Commission of turning a blind eye to the problem.

"The Commission has already demonstrated its commitment to the issue of nitrate pollution in the dispute with France. […]Paris is currently negotiating possible penalties with Brussels," Der Tagesschau wrote.

According to the newspaper, Paris will most likely pay a fine of up to three billion euro. If the claim against Germany is successful, Berlin could be also forced to pay a similar amount of money, the article said.

High level of nitrates in groundwater poses a threat to human health. In particular, it can lead to methemoglobinemia, a disorder characterized by the blood cells' decreasing ability to transport oxygen.