Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-01-18-Speech-2-632-000"
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"en.20110118.23.2-632-000"2
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"Madam President, first of all, I would like to thank all Members of Parliament who drew my attention and the attention of my services to this important question. I am pleased that the European Parliament has taken an active role in monitoring the waste management situation in Campania, as shown, for example, by the report adopted by the Committee on Petitions following the visit to Campania which it carried out in April last year. Parliament has truly an important role here and has assumed it fully.
In the 2002-2006 programming period, a total financing allocation of EUR 140 million, 50% cofinanced again by the ERDF, was concentrated on waste management projects. However, following the waste management crisis, the Commission decided to take specific measures in order to ensure that ERDF funds allocated to Campania were used properly.
Firstly, as from 1 January 2005, expenditure management was considered ineligible for cofinancing. Secondly, after the official notification to Italy of the opening of the infringement procedure for waste management on 29 June 2007, the Commission informed the Italian authorities that no further cofinancing would be acceptable for waste management.
The 2007-2013 regional operational programme in Campania foresees a total investment of EUR 270 million, again 50% cofinanced by the ERDF, for the management of waste. However, the disbursement of EC financing for projects in the waste sector is subject, in particular, to the condition that the Italian authorities adopt a regional waste management plan, to be validated, of course, by the Commission.
Tomorrow, we will publish in the Commission the report on the implementation of a thematic strategy on prevention and recycling of waste. This report shows significant differences between Member States in terms of waste management performance. It clearly demonstrates that with an appropriate waste management strategy, landfilling can be reduced close to zero and that incineration could be dramatically reduced by increasing waste composting and recycling. In addition to transforming waste into resources, this creates jobs and economic activity while reducing the environmental impact of waste management. So I really hope that this crisis will eventually be transformed into an opportunity by the competent authorities through the launch of serious separate collection and recycling schemes in Campania.
In brief, the Commission is hoping that the waste management plan for Campania is convincing. Until we are certain of an effective plan setting up a system with the necessary infrastructure and have robust guarantees that projects will be implemented effectively, Commission funding of relevant waste management projects in Campania is interrupted.
I will address some of your questions which you have already raised in my closing remarks.
Immediately after the European Court ruling, on 4 March 2010, the Commission wrote to the Italian authorities asking what measures they had planned or taken in order to comply with it. After that, the Commission has had several contacts and meetings with the Italian authorities, most recently during the mission to Naples carried out on 22 and 23 November 2010 by a delegation from the Environment Directorate-General.
Our view is that the Italian authorities still have a long way to go in order to execute the ruling. In particular, they need, firstly, to expand and upgrade waste management facilities throughout the whole of Campania and, secondly, to develop an effective management plan for urban waste in Campania, taking into account, amongst other things, the EU waste management hierarchy.
The Commission is not satisfied with the measures that the Italian authorities have communicated since the Court’s ruling because they do not include a detailed calendar indicating milestones for the construction works of the foreseen installations.
We think that the waste management plan for Campania must be fully compliant with EU environmental law and must give priority to waste reduction, re-use and recycling; ensure implementation of separate collection in the whole region; provide Campania with the necessary composting capacity; and establish measures for the safe disposal in a reasonable timeframe of more than seven million tonnes of baled waste stored in several cities in Campania, which also means that the Italian authorities will have to carry out an analysis of the baled waste, the so-called ‘ecoball’, before deciding which is the safest way to dispose of them.
If there is no adequate and effective waste management plan, the Commission will return to the Court and propose the imposition of fines. Therefore, we must closely assess the draft waste management plan that the Campania authorities have just submitted to the Commission – and ‘just’ really means ‘just’ – and monitor carefully that they actually adopt and implement the plan. The decision on whether and when to open Article 260 proceedings against Italy will depend mainly on the content of the waste management plan and the timing of the measures used to immediately address the problem in a convincing way.
With regard to the existing landfills, the Commission has started an investigation and asked the Italian authorities to report on the functioning of the Terziano and Cicciano landfills. The Italian reply is still pending and once it is received, the Commission will assess it.
At this stage, the Commission does not have evidence of a breach of European Union environmental law. The fact that the landfill is situated in a nature protected area is not, in itself, a breach of EU legislation, provided, of course, that other rules are applied and that the competent national authorities carry out an appropriate environment assessment and implement the necessary mitigation and also compensation measures.
As concerns the cofinancing of waste management measures in Campania, in the 1994-1999 programming period, EUR 88.1 million were devoted to waste management projects, almost 49% cofinanced by the ERDF. However, only 90% of the total allocation was used because of difficulties also linked to the waste management crisis and the institution by the Italian authorities of the extraordinary management in 1994."@en1
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