Brussels, 28/06/2011 (Agence Europe) - Another waste crisis has come to a head in Naples where several thousands of tonnes of rubbish has been gathering, after other regions of Italy refused to take it, and the Commission is losing patience. Witness the new warning delivered by European Environment Commissioner Janez Potoènik who, on Tuesday 28 June, threatened to refer the Italian authorities once again to the Court of Justice of the EU, as he had done, unsuccessfully, on 26 November of last year (see EUROPE 10265). “I am closely following the situation regarding waste in Naples and the waste management situation generally in the Campania region. Looking at media images and reading reports, I am very concerned that so little, if any, progress has been achieved since 2007 when the European Commission was obliged to open an infringement procedure against the Italian Republic”, the commissioner said. He went on: “What has been happening recently shows that the Italian Authorities have not yet done what is needed in order to find an adequate and definitive solution to the problem”. The Court of Justice found on 4 March 2010 that Italy was in breach of EU Directive 2006/12/EC on waste management, Case C-297/08.
Pointing out that “the Commission has been in close contact with the Italian authorities at various levels for many months, including a visit to Campania at the request of the authorities”, Potoènik warned: “Real improvements need to be seen and confirmed by citizens. The absence of such improvements leaves the Commission with little choice but to actively pursue the infringement procedure. Unless the situation is reversed in due time, this could lead to financial sanctions being imposed on Italy by the European Court of Justice”.
This warning, which may not be the last, was fired off as Stefano Caldoro, President of the Campania Region, prepares to visit Brussels where he will hold discussions with MEPs on Friday on putting in place a working group for the Campania Region (following on from the creation of a European office in Naples). No meeting is planned with the commissioner, however, Potoènik's spokesman Joe Hennon told EUROPE. (A.N./transl.rt)