The Commission has decided to take further steps in legal actions against Spain, Italy, Greece and France for failing to respect the Community Nitrates Directive, which concerns the protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources. The Commission has decided to lodge an application before the European Court of Justice against several Member States for their failure to fully respect the Nitrates Directive (Council Directive 91/676/EEC concerning the protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources). These Member States are Spain, Italy and Greece. The Commission also decided to send a Reasoned Opinion to France for the same Directive. These decisions from part of a Commission strategy to make the Nitrates Directive fully effective across the Community. The Directive sets out to lower excessive nitrate levels in groundwaters, natural freshwater lakes, freshwater bodies, estuaries, coastal waters and marine waters in so far as these are caused by agriculture. The aims are two-fold: to safeguard the quality of drinking water (very high nitrate levels represent a public health risk) and to help combat eutrophication (this is the process whereby algal blooms and other undesirable changes are brought about in water bodies through an excess of nutrients such as nitrates). Increased fertilizer use and other changes in agricultural practice have in the last few decades contributed to a worrying growth in nitrate-related problems (reflected, for example, in the results of drinking water monitoring). The Directive seeks to remedy the situation by requiring Member States to take several measures. These include monitoring water bodies to identify those affected by nitrate pollution; designating as vulnerable zones the areas surrounding these nitrate-polluted waters; controlling fertilizer use and other agricultural sources of nitrates in the vulnerable zones (including fixing a maximum quantity of manure that can be spread); establishing codes of good agricultural practice. The decisions taken are a response to the following failures: In the case of Spain, there has been a failure to designate vulnerable zones and to send codes of good agricultural practice to the Commission. In the case of Italy, there has been a failure to adopt legislation, designate vulnerable zones and establish codes of good agricultural practice. In the case of Greece, there has been a failure to adopt legislation and to designate vulnerable zones. In the case of France, there has been a failure to designate certain vulnerable zones. ***
