The European Commission took legal action on Thursday against 10 member states for allowing more than 4,000 industrial plants to operate with proper permits.
EU countries were by October 2007 supposed to issue new permits or update existing ones for all industrial plants in operation from at least November 1999, as part of new rules to cut air, water, and soil pollution.
However, the commission said that data from member states themselves showed that 10 countries had still failed to do so, leaving 4,000 plants out of 52,000 plants concerned without the right permits.
"It is unacceptable that industrial installations are operating without legal permits that ensure they minimise polluting emissions," European Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said in a statement.
"These permitting procedures have been agreed by all member states. To protect the health of our citizens and the environment they must be respected," he added.
The commission sent final warnings to Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, and Spain, after which they face the prospect of court action.
Denmark and Ireland were sent first warnings.
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