Ombudsman takes up complaint over polluting Italian steel mill
As 'Guardian of the Treaties', the Commission is meant to ensure that all member states comply with EU law. But when it comes to the Acciaierie d'Italia steel mill, still known by its former name Ilva, in Taranto city, campaigners claim it has turned a blind eye for too long.
Alongside Left MEP Valentina Palmisano, Alessandro Marescotti and Luciano Manna from the NGO PeaceLink submitted a complaint to the Ombudsman, which holds EU bodies to account, on 4 June. Euronews Green looked at the history of the plant and what led up to the complaint last month.
Teresa Anjinho, who holds the Ombudsman role, has now written to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen saying she has decided to open an inquiry into the complaint.
The slow case of the Ilva plant in Taranto
The European Commission opened an infringement procedure against Italy in 2013 for failing to ensure that Ilva meets the bloc's environmental standards on industrial emissions.
'Tests have shown heavy pollution of the air, soil, surface and ground waters both at the ILVA site and in nearby inhabited areas of the city of Taranto,' it wrote at the time. This widespread pollution has been tied to abnormally high rates of cancer in the local population and has contaminated the food chain.
In 2014, the Commission proceeded with an 'additional formal notice', but did not escalate the matter to the CJEU (Court of Justice of the European Union). After an 11-year hiatus, it issued a second additional formal notice in May this year, where it again called on Italy to comply with the Industrial Emissions Directive.
'The case of the ILVA plant in Taranto has, unfortunately, remained in the shadows of institutional indifference,' Marescotti told Euronews Green last month. 'Taranto has been sacrificed on the altar of economic interests, at the expense of health, dignity, and the fundamental rights of its inhabitants.'
What happens now in the Ilva case?
In their letter to the Ombudsman, the complainants say the Commission has been unjustifiably delayed in its handling of the infringement procedure; has failed to communicate transparently with the public; and has ultimately failed to bring Italy to the CJEU.
'I have now concluded that it would be useful to receive a written reply from the Commission to this complaint,' Anjinho says in her 11 July letter to von der Leyen.
The Ombudsman is seeking a reply by 30 September, setting out in detail the steps taken by the Commission since it issued the first letter of formal notice in September 2013.
'I have also decided that, for the purposes of the inquiry, it is necessary for my inquiry team to inspect the full Commission file concerning the infringement procedure,' she writes from Strasbourg. This includes copies of all correspondence exchanged between the Commission and the Italian government, and copies of any internal assessment.
What has the Commission said about Ilva?
In response to questions from Euronews Green last month, a spokesperson for the European Commission underlined 'the consistently constructive and effective working relations between the Commission and the Ombudsman, with the common aim to promote good administrative practices.'
Following the second additional formal notice sent on 7 May this year, Italy had two months to respond to the Commission. In the absence of a satisfactory response, the spokesperson said the Commission may decide to issue a 'reasoned opinion' (as it did previously in October 2014).
It is not known if Italy responded in time. A spokesperson for The Left group in the European Parliament says it has submitted FOI requests to find out, but all exchanges between the Commission and Italy were denied on a confidentiality basis.
'The Italian authorities must take action,' the European Commission spokesperson adds. 'Italy should make its legislation conform with the Industrial Emissions Directive. It should address the shortcomings of the permit issued to the Acciaierie d'Italia steel plant. And it should urgently ensure that the steel plant is operated in compliance with the provisions of that Directive.
'In the past years, the Commission has closely followed the implementation of the Environmental plan by the Italian authorities. This plan was to be implemented by August 2023 to re-establish compliance.
'The Commission has had an intense dialogue with the authorities to ensure the remaining problems would be addressed. However, to date, the Environmental Plan is not fully implemented.'
The Italian government has been contacted for comment.
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