“Italy in default on milk quotas, as it did not ensure that the additional levy was borne by the staff responsible for the overproduction between 1995 and 2009”. This is what the established today EU Court of Justice in the context of a sentence relating to the failure to recover from the persons responsible an estimated figure of 1,34 billion fines on milk quotas between 1995 and 2009.
In fact, for fourteen years, Italy exceeded the national quota for milk production, encountering heavy fines. However, the latter were not paid by the farmers responsible for the surplus, but by the Italian State, for a total of 2,3 billion. Nine years ago Luca Zaia, then Minister of Agricultural Policies, assured that the issue of milk quotas could be considered archived. In reality, starting from 1 January of that year, our country obtained from Brussels only the end of the milk quota regime for Italy, but the crucial issue of the "slappers" was not addressed.
The Luxembourg judges underline that the problem does not lie in the failure to recover per se, but in "not having prepared, over a long period of time (over 12 years), the legislative and administrative means suitable for ensuring the regular recovery of the additional levy from responsible producers of overproduction".
Currently our country has yet to recover from the milk producers well 1,255 billion, of which 796 million euros due deriving precisely from the overrun of the Community quotas. Italy will therefore have to comply with the indications of the Court, exposing itself, in the event of non-compliance, to a new case by the Commission. This possible second cause of non-performance could result in ucondemnation of our country to pay fines.
“It's a heavy legacy that comes from the past and has strong responsibilities in the choices made in particular by the League and by the right at that time in government. Unfortunately, decisions were made before 2014 that damaged thousands of honest farmers and all citizens, given that the state has already paid 4,5 billion euros. In recent years, on the other hand, we have not put the dust under the carpet and have started a recovery process. Due to the Northern League's misgovernment of past years, the Italians unfortunately still pay a very high bill ". This is the comment of the Minister of Agriculture, Maurice Martina.
Straight out of the EU!!