Press Release: Italy: Commission pursues legal action over infringements of environmental laws

The European Commission is pursuing legal action against Italy over three cases in which EU legislation to protect the environment is being violated. One case concerns Italy's failure to comply fully with a European Court of Justice (ECJ) judgement condemning it for not carrying out an environmental impact assessment of a new waste incinerator. In this regard the Commission is sending a first written warning under Article 228 of the treaty, which could lead to Italy being fined if it does not comply. In the other two cases, the Commission is sending Italy final written warnings under Article 226 of the Treaty over a river water abstraction project which is harming a protected wildlife site and the failure of a local authority to verify whether a strategic environmental assessment of a new land-use plan was needed.