EU takes Greece to court over failure to update flood risk maps

The European Commission on Thursday decided to refer Greece to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failing to provide updated flood risk and flood hazard maps as required by its floods directive.

It was the only EU member country not to comply.

The European Commission Thursday launched legal action against Greece for failing to update its flood risk and flood hazard maps as required under EU law.

According to the EU executive, Greece failed to update the maps by March 2020 as stipulated in the bloc’s 2007 Floods Directive, making it the only member country to fail to comply.

The Greek government initially said it would fulfill its obligations under the EU law by June 2023, but before summer said it couldn’t comply before the end of the year, the Commission said, citing the delay as a key reason for taking the country to court.

The EU executive stressed that the maps are “key instruments” for flood prevention and risk management, as “they help raise awareness about areas at risk of flooding and help communities develop strategies for reducing these risks.”

They can also be used by civil protection, firefighters and first responders to “plan emergency responses” and “support insurance decisions,” as well as inform “land-use planning and urban development, particularly to avoid creating new risks,” Brussels added.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis faced harsh criticism for his government’s response to the deadly wildfires and devastating floods that hit the country over the summer.

The left-wing opposition notably blamed Mitsotakis’ government’s for its lack of preparedness and for failing to create the appropriate framework to manage these multiple disasters and their consequences.

source: politico.eu

PS Greece did not had ready the flood risk maps, but after the floods in Thessaly floods in September 2023 may have them, but most probably #not.