Judgment of the Court (Fifth Chamber) of 21 June 2012 —

Commission v Portugal

(Case C-223/11)

Failure of a Member State to fulfil obligations — Environment — Directive 2000/60/EC — European Union water policy — River basin district management plans — Publication and notification to the Commission — None — Information and consultation of the public on the envisaged management plans — None

Actions for failure to fulfil obligations — Examination of the merits by the Court — Situation to be taken into consideration — Situation on expiry of the period laid down in the reasoned opinion (Art. 258 TFEU; European Parliament and Council Directive 2000/60) (see paras 16, 29)

Re:

Operative part

The Court:

–        to publish the national and international river basin district management plans;

–        to publish and to submit to the public, including users, for comment the envisaged river basin district management plans, and

–        to send the European Commission the copies of those plans,

has failed to fulfil its obligations under, respectively, Article 13(6) of Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy, read in conjunction with Article 13(1) and (2), Article 14(1)(c) and Article 15(1) of that directive;