On 28 February 2008 the European Court of Justice delivered a preliminary ruling on the operation of an air freight centre at the Belgian Liège-Bierset Airport. The request for a preliminary ruling asked for interpretation of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) directive (85/337/EEC). The Court found that the restructuring of the airport does not constitute a ‘project’ within the meaning of the EIA directive. The Court ruled that the national courts have discretion to decide whether the EIA directive applies when deciding in the case in question, which concerns noise pollution claims linked to the works at the Belgian airport.