The European Commission is launching an infringement procedure against Italy for failing to ensure so far that Ilva of Taranto complies with EU requirements relating to industrial emissions, with serious consequences for human health and the environment.
Furthermore, our country is also in default with respect to the directive on environmental liability, which establishes the principle of "the polluter pays". The requirements not respected (or only partially respected) were contained in the integrated environmental authorization (AIA) which applies the EU directive on the integrated prevention and reduction of pollution ("IPPC directive") deriving from industrial activities with a high polluting potential.
The Commission acted following various complaints from citizens and NGOs, and in particular Peace Link and the Antidioxin Fund, which last May, meeting with Environment Commissioner Janez Potocnik, had denounced Ilva's non-compliance with 35 out of 90 Hague prescriptions.
The Italian government now has two months to respond to Brussels. According to the Commission, "most of the problems derive from the failure to reduce the high levels of uncontrolled emissions generated during the steel production process".
In a statement, the EU Executive adds that "laboratory tests show heavy pollution of the air, soil, surface water and groundwater, both on the Ilva site and in the adjacent inhabited areas of the city of Tarentum. In particular, the pollution of the city district of Tamburi is attributable to the activities of the steel plant”.
