Missions - Fact-finding visit to Italy: 17 - 19 July 2017 - 17-07-2017 - Committee on Petitions

The Committee on Petitions will conduct a fact-finding mission to Taranto, Italy, on 17-19 July 2017. The delegation will visit the ILVA plant (Europe's largest integrated-cycle steelworks), the ENI oil refinery, and the site of the planned extension of the oil jetty. The purpose of the mission is to provide a follow-up to a series of petitions concerning heavy pollution of the air, soil, surface and ground waters both at the ILVA site and in the nearby Tamburi quarter.

The objective of the mission is to meet petitioners and national, regional and local authorities in order to obtain up-to-date information on matters raised by the petitioners and to identify viable solutions to the longstanding environmental problems. To this end, the delegation will meet with the Commissioner for Environmental Reclamation, the agencies ARPA and ASL responsible for overseeing environmental and public health policy, as well as the technical and administrative managers of ILVA and ENI.

A certain number of petitions are related to a pending infringement procedure (2013/2177) on the breach of the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED 2010/75/EU) and the Seveso Directive (2012/18/EU), commenced by European Commission in view of ensuring that the Italian authorities take all the necessary measures to reduce as much as possible the emissions produced by ILVA.

Members participating in the mission:
     Cecilia WIKSTRÖM (ALDE, SV) - Chair of the delegation
     Angela VALLINA DE LA NOVAL (GUE/NG, ES)
     Josep-Maria TERRICABRAS (Greens/EFA, ES)
Ex-officio Members participating in the mission:
     Aldo PATRICIELLO (PPE)
     Andrea COZZOLINO (S&D, IT)
     Eleonora EVI (EFDD, IT)