In a case against Italy the Commission challenged Italian exemptions from the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive for a waste development facility and a biomass incineration plant project in the village of Massafra in the region of Puglia. On 23 November 2006 the ECJ ruled against Italy stating that waste recovery operations are also covered by the EIA-Directive 85/337/EEC amended by Directive 97/11/EEC. It thus appeared of no relevance that the action of recovering waste is actually beneficial for the environment, because the installations could still have an impact on the environment.