[JURIST] The European Commission [official website] has launched a series of legal actions in the European Court of Justice [official website; JURIST news archive] against EU member states for failures to abide by EU laws, according to press statements [text] released by the Commission on Thursday. Filings ranged from infringement proceedings against Poland and Sweden for failing to fully implement rules providing common conditions for the reuse of information produced, collected and shared by public bodies in the EU to actions against Portugal and France over the non-reimbursement of the costs for medical treatment in other EU countries. Ten member-states – Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Sweden and the United Kingdom – were subjected to infringement proceedings for their failure to implement certain Internal Market Directives into national law. Legal action was taken against Italy for several matters, including the failure to implement regulations on compulsory maximum legal fees, the adoption of tax legislation which discriminates against regenerated oil coming from other EU states, and its questionable compliance with a court order concerning the purchase of helicopters.

The European Commission is responsible for ensuring EU law is applied throughout all Member States. The Commission's Secretariat-General [official website] is tasked with monitoring support given by national authorities to commercial organizations, keeping track of the measures taken by the authorities in the Member States to incorporate EU law into their national law, and taking action when they fail to do so properly. Reuters has more.