Portuguese court ends pollution lawsuit against Siderurgia Nacional

The Lisbon Court of Appeal (TRL) has confirmed the end of the class action lawsuit against Portuguese long steel producer SN Seixal for alleged contamination, Kallanish reports. The company is part of the Megasa group.

The court ruled that the steelmaker’s activity fulfils the environmental legislation and that it has not been proven that its production harms the health of the population, so it should not be suspended.

The civil class action against SN Seixal was filed in February 2019 by the local citizen association Terra da Morte Lenta, requesting an urgent assessment of the impacts of air and noise pollution produced by the steelmaker. The group also called on Brussels to define and implement the technical means of monitoring air and noise pollution. Terra da Morte Lenta complained that the national environmental agency renewed SN’s environmental licence without carrying out epidemiological studies or lung carcinoma and lung disease screening tests in the community.

The TRL now considers that there was bad faith litigation, condemning the association to pay €5,100 ($5,034).

Todor Kirkov Bulgaria