Brussels asks Spain to raise 'green' taxes and reduce subsidies harmful to the environment

BRUSELAS, 8 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Spain must increase environmental taxes and reduce subsidies that are harmful to the natural environment, as pointed out by the European Commission in its review of the application of environmental regulations.

This report helps Member States tackle systemic obstacles to integrating environment-related issues into their national policies. In the case of Spain, Brussels points out as a pending challenge "to transfer taxation from work to the environment and reduce subsidies that are harmful to the environment."

"Spain is one of the Member States with the lowest environmental taxes in the EU in relation to its national gross domestic product," the report pointed out.

Also, the community review emphasizes the need to improve water management, "in particular the complete treatment of urban wastewater." Brussels calls for an improvement from the water governance itself, the rehabilitation of water bodies and their water efficiency. "More investments in infrastructure are necessary. Spain is paying fines for its non-compliance with the Directive on urban wastewater treatment," he recalled.

The report also asks Spain to "take a step forward" to improve municipal waste management and further develop the circular economy. After confirming that Spain did not meet the EU objectives for 2020 to recycle 50% of municipal waste, the European Executive assures that it will take a "significant effort" to reach the current goal of recycling 55% of urban waste by 2025.

Of course, Brussels puts the positive note in the adoption in July 2021 of the national plan for purification, sanitation, efficiency, saving and reuse of water, and the approval of a Circular Economy Strategy at the national level in June 2020.

It also considers important progress that large metropolitan areas have approved the creation of low emission zones by 2023 to deal with air quality and welcomes the State Strategy for green infrastructure and ecological connectivity and restoration.