Civic groups lodge complaint over Czech failure to draft noise maps

Seven civic and environmental organisations have filed a complaint with the European Commission over the Czech Republic's failure to draft strategic noise maps within a deadline set by the EU. The country was supposed to have mapped noise levels in several Prague cities and areas near motorways and railways by 30 June, but had so far only submitted data on railroads. A spokeswoman for one of the organisations said that 90,000 people suffer from excessive noise levels in Prague alone, and that so-called noise-maps were urgently needed to come up with action plans for limiting noise pollution. The government is supposed to draft anti-noise measures by July of next year, and these will be partly financed by the EU.