The European Commission is calling on Belgium to comply with key provisions of EU rules on the assessment and management of environmental noise caused by road, rail and airport traffic.
The Commission has sent Belgium in 2017 a formal notice followed by an additional letter in May 2018, calling to implement the Directive 2002/49/EC which requires the adoption of noise maps showing noise exposure within bigger urban areas, along main railways, main roads and of major airports.
These maps then serve as a basis for defining measures in noise action plans. Strategic noise documents are still missing in the Walloon region, and the Commission is also concerned about the review procedure of the action plan for the Brussels agglomeration as it did not involve the public.
The EC says that although there has been progress, action plans are still missing for 31 major railways and all major roads in in the Walloon region. As a result, the Commission has decided to send a reasoned opinion.
Within the next two months, Belgium must remedy the situation, otherwise, the Commission may decide to refer the case to the Court of Justice of the EU.
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