Sewer system in the Cité des Espagnols: preliminary investigation by the European Commission

Le vice-président de Tales, Gildas Herriot, et le président, Jésus Araiz. MLG

La pétition de l’association Tales a été jugée recevable. Elle poursuit son combat.

After the inadmissibility sent by Nîmes Métropole in 2021 and the rejection of appeals to the administrative court, the Tales association (All to the sewer, sanitation, health) remained silent without disarming. Convinced of the justice of its fight: to finally provide the Cité des Espagnols district with a connection system to collective sanitation. The association therefore decided to turn to the Petitions Committee at European level. With success: a letter, dated November 26, 2024 and signed by Bogdan Rzonca, president of this Committee, informs them that after examination,“The petition has been declared admissible, given that the issue you raise falls within the areas of activity of the European Union. On this basis, I have asked the European Commission to conduct a preliminary investigation into the subject of your petition.” The latter has also been forwarded to the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety of the European Parliament.

“This approach is our last resort”

“This is our last resort, explain Tales President Jesus Araiz and Vice-President Gildas Herriot. The fact that our petition has been declared admissible is no small thing… But we are not shouting victory. We do not know if Europe has sovereign power over Nîmes Métropole. We will see the result of this investigation.”

In order to familiarize themselves with these procedures, the members of Tales must meet, at the end of January, the European deputy of Gard, Chloé Ridel. “This will then allow us to inform residents about the progress to be transparent.”

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Petition: how it works

It is currently possible to support the petition (number 0895/2024) of the Tales association, on the website of the Committee on Petitions of the European Parliament, which has declared it admissible. Indeed, citizens and residents of the European Union can exercise their right to petition, which is considered a fundamental right. This petition allows Parliament to really see how EU law is applied on the ground. With one limitation: the subject of the petition must concern an area of ​​EU activity (environment, consumer protection, free movement, etc.). If it is declared admissible, a new phase begins: investigation, report, appeal…

After what seemed to be “a final curtain call” in 2021, now it's time for “season 2” of a long struggle that began in 2014 with the creation of the association by a handful of residents of the Cité des Espagnols, this small neighborhood located between the ring road and the highway, a stone's throw from the Bois des Noyers. Connection to drinking water, exhumation of a municipal council deliberation that made these private roads fall into the public domain, and finally, a request for the arrival of sewerage for the 250 homes, currently equipped with septic tanks or mini-treatment plants, animated the successive episodes.

“During a petition ten years ago, 98% of residents declared themselves in favor of sewerage. In 2020, a preliminary study, requested by the Agglo, concluded that it was feasible.” Alas, Nîmes Métropole made the implementation of collective sanitation conditional on a positive response to a questionnaire from at least 70% of residents: in the end, only 66% said yes…

600 residents concerned

“If it is feasible, why ask citizens to take part in the decision? asks the vice-president. We must go all the way through the process: not only has public money been spent, but it is also in the public interest. It is a question of public health. The water table is close, we all have boreholes. In the event of heavy rain, the sanitation system is unsuitable because rainwater seeps in and mixes with domestic wastewater, leading to a high risk of contamination. The European directives give us hope with our 600 inhabitants. 40% of the plots, too small, cannot accommodate septic tanks that meet standards. »
To the inhabitants of “this small Gallic village” who are not yet convinced, Tales reminds them that they will have ten years to connect to the sewer system, if it is set up, and “will be able to benefit from aid, in particular from pension funds”. While collective sanitation is present in the neighboring district of Mas des Abeilles, President Jesus Araiz does not hesitate to denounce “a health apartheid”.

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