It is known that the EU Court of Justice has imposed a fine of 25 million euros on Italy, plus 30 million for each semester of delay in bringing over 100 urban centers or areas without sewer networks or wastewater treatment systems into compliance.
To be precise, Italy had already been condemned by the Court for inadequate management of urban wastewater in 2012 and referred for the second time by the European Commission for an infringement procedure that began in 2004. Therefore, it is currently undergoing two infringement procedures for the same reason, one of which led to a first ruling in 2014. But it doesn't end there.
During a conference held in Rimini during the Ecomondo 2018, the sole extraordinary commissioner for purification, Enrico Rolle, anticipated that “Italy will likely be involved in two additional infringement procedures for the “lack of treatment plants.”
Below is a map highlighting the areas that do not comply with the provisions of the directive 91/271/EEC. In other words, it highlights the areas of the Beautiful Country that do not comply with sewer networks and urban wastewater treatment systems.
Regarding the issue of non-treatment, the penalties that Italy has paid and will have to pay to Europe are very significant; if we focus “only” on environmental issues, we recall the 178.4 million euros paid for the ruling concerning illegal landfills and about 140 million for that on waste in Campania.
In addition to the primary issue of environmental protection, we also consider the financial damage that such an infringement procedure entails for our country. On the other hand, it was certain that regarding wastewater, Italy would pay the price for its non-compliance with the obligations imposed by Europe.
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