Member states warned over air and water pollution laws 

The Commission has sent final written warnings to nine Member States (Belgium, Finland, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, the UK and Sweden) for failing to meet the December 2003 deadline to transpose the EU Water Framework directive into national law.

The directive aims to improve the management of Europe's freshwater rivers, lakes and wetlands.

A further batch of first written warnings have also been sent to France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain and the UK. The five countries failed to meet a December 2000 deadline for installing proper treatment for waste-water discharges from cities and towns with more than 15,000 inhabitants, the Commission has announced in a statement.

In a simultaneous move, the Commission has issued first warnings to nine Member States (Austria, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain and the UK) for missing a transposition deadline aimed at reducing air pollution in urban areas. All failed to produce air pollution-reduction plans for nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter that are considered crucial to protecting children's health.

The decisions came out shortly after a WHO international ministerial conference adopted an

action planto protect children from health threats due to environmental pollution (see ).

The action is part of the EU strategy to combat diseases related to environmental pollution, know as the SCALE initiative (Science, Children, Awareness, Legislation, Evaluation).