Wallonia Region: Tereos pays €12 M in compensation for pollution of the Scheldt

€12 million: this is the amount of compensation paid by the Tereos cooperative group to the Wallonia Region as reparation for massive pollution of the Scheldt, caused by the discharge, in 2020, of nearly 100,000 m³ of beet washing water from a Tereos France facility. This major pollution incident had seriously affected the river on both the French and Walloon sides, causing massive fish mortality and considerable damage to aquatic ecosystems.

In a judgement dated 12 January 2023, the Lille Criminal Court had already fined Tereos France 500,000 euros and ordered it to pay more than 8.8 M€ in compensation for ecological damage. Following mediation between Tereos France and the Government of Wallonia, advised by the law firm Huglo-Lepage Avocats, an agreement was reached to increase this amount to €12 M, representing an additional €3 M: this compensation is among the largest ever awarded in Europe for ecological damage.

For the firm, “this decision marks an important milestone in the history of environmental law. It enshrines a modern and rigorous understanding of ecological damage…