• 04 Mar 2016

The critical issues and delays experienced by the integrated water service are particularly severe in the wastewater treatment segment, as a result of which Italy has already received two sentences (2012 and 2014) and a new infringement procedure (2014-2059) from the European Court of Justice for breach of European Council Directive 91/271/EEC on urban wastewater treatment. The first sentence (case C-565/10), issued on 19 July 2012, condemned Italy for failure to treat wastewater originating from dozens of agglomerations with a population equivalent of more than 15,000; the second sentence (case C-85/13), issued on 10 April 2014 and concerning 41 agglomerates with a population equivalent of more than 10,000, condemned Italy for failure to build sewerage systems and perform wastewater treatment.


The government, which in 2014 set up a Mission Structure to combat hydrogeological instability and develop water infrastructures, has calculated that the penalties may reach “a maximum of 714,000 euros per day of noncompliance with effect from the date of issue of the sentence, expected by the end of 2016”. The alarm was given by the former facility coordinator Erasmo D’Angelis, who has calculated “heavy fines for the regional governments and for around 2,500 noncompliant municipalities”. The final bill will amount to “half a billion euros a year from 2016 until completion of the works”. The following are the possible penalties by region if the political and industrial system fails to achieve the required levels of synergy (in millions of euros): Sicily 185, Lombardy 74, Friuli Venezia Giulia 66, Calabria 38, Campania 21, Puglia and Sardinia 19, Liguria 18, Marche 11, Abruzzo 8, Lazio 7 and Piedmont, Val d’Aosta and Veneto 5, making up a total of 482 million euros. On top of this figure, the European Commission may also request the imposition of a further lump sum penalty calculated according to the rate of inflation and GDP, as well as the suspension of European funding. The more than 2,500 noncompliant municipalities include: Trieste, Imperia, Naples, Reggio Calabria, Agrigento, Benevento, Messina and Ragusa (provincial capitals); as well as Rapallo and Santa Margherita Ligure, Capri, Ischia and Massa Lubrense, Porto Cesareo, San Vito dei Normanni and Casamassima, Rossano, Soverato, Castrovillari and Lamezia Terme, Cefalù, Capo d’Orlando, Marsala and Giardini Naxos. This limited data extrapolated from the EU Court sentences gives a clear picture of the impact of this inadequate infrastructure on the social fabric and tourism industry. The adverse combination of low investments and lack of water service infrastructure must be reversed in favour of broader environmental protection and sustainable economic and social development in Italy.