EU gives Greece lousy eco-report card

“Greece faces significant difficulties in implementing EU environmental legislation,” the European Commission said in its Environmental Implementation Review, published Monday, stressing that waste management remains the biggest problem area.

According to data in the report, 81 percent of Greece’s urban waste ends up in landfills, compared with the EU average of 31 percent, while just 16 percent is recycled (against 27 percent in the EU) and 4 percent composted (15 percent in the EU).

The report was also critical of Greece’s performance in managing Natura-protected areas, stressing the need to improve “enforcement of legislation on the ground.”

It said that Greece ranks seventh from the bottom among the EU-28 for eco-innovation.