Smog in the Po Valley, speaks Fedrighini, the man behind the first EU infringement procedure against Italy:«After 20 years nothing has changed»

The complaint presented in 2005 by Fedrighini, now a city councilor, convinced Brussels to open infringement proceedings against Italy:«In Milan we don't breathe healthy air and my complaint was the first to certify it»

Spring 2005.A satellite photo shows Lombardy covered in a thick blanket of smog.Emissions of atmospheric particulate matter - PM10 and PM2.5 - have reached levels well beyond those permitted by law and citizens are becoming increasingly alert about the risks that such prolonged exposure to fine dust can have on their health.Among them there is also Enrico Fedrighini, who decides to make a complaint to the European Commission for failure to comply with the EU limits set by the air quality directive.«I was the first Italian citizen ever to initiate this procedure for issues related to pollution», he tells Open Fedrighini, who is now a city councilor in Milan and has a master's degree from the University of Pavia in «Evaluation and control of toxicological risk from environmental pollutants».Five years later, in 2010, his complaint was accepted:Brussels opens an infringement procedure against Italy, which in 2022 is condemned by the Court of Justice of the European Union for "systematically exceeding the limit value for nitrogen dioxide".Fedrighini's move was born from the desire to unblock years of inertia on the environmental policy front, both in the municipality of Milan and in the Lombardy region.Yet, almost twenty years after the presentation of that complaint, air pollution in the Po Valley remains a health emergency.

How did the decision to submit that complaint to the European Commission come about?

«In 2005 I wasn't a city councilor, I was a simple citizen.My goal was to put local administrations in default regarding the pollution problem.Faced with the data of those weeks, the only reaction of the mayor of Milan Gabriele Albertini was to advise families to "take the children to the countryside", while the president of the Region Roberto Formigoni he blamed the wood-fired pizza ovens.In Milan we don't breathe healthy air and my complaint was the first to certify it.I went to the office in Corso Magenta, where the European Commission is based, and asked for information on how to submit the complaint.I still remember the panic in the municipality when the news first appeared in the newspapers."

In 2010, five years later, his complaint was upheld.What did they answer her?

«The complaint was accepted and an infringement procedure was started against Italy, the same one that led to the conviction by the EU Court of Justice in 2022.This shows that my complaint was justified and well-founded.Italy now risks having to pay a fine of over a billion euros for that infringement.All money that could have been spent to strengthen public transport and start solving the pollution problem.I know perfectly well that my action was not decisive, but it was a step that had to be taken."

Almost 20 years after that complaint, smog in the Po Valley remains an emergency.Yet, between the municipality of Milan and the Lombardy Region rags fly.Who has more responsibility?

«The ricochets of accusations we have witnessed in recent days are a painful sight.The Lombardy Region undoubtedly has an enormous responsibility for this problem, starting from the management of Trenord, which has become to all intents and purposes a reimbursement agency for the continuous delays of its trains.Sorry to say, but today the way Trenord works is a constant incentive to use the private car, which also represents one of the main sources of polluting substances if we consider only the city of Milan".

And the responsibilities of the Municipality?

«Milan cannot use the inertia of the Lombardy Region as an alibi.It is a city that has the tools to act but still does not do enough.I see little courage on the part of the administration in taking measures related to freeing up public space and reducing private traffic.Solutions like Area B and Area C can be useful, but not if they are implemented only to force citizens to change cars.This only makes car dealers happy."

The agreement reached in recent days by the EU institutions on air quality provides for a 10-year derogation for the Po Valley to comply with the new constraints.What do you think?

«I believe that the granting of exemptions should be linked to a serious and rigorous plan of measures to strengthen public transport.Otherwise, what use are these ten extra years that we have been granted?To do the rain dance?

The new directive could also recognize the right of citizens to sue institutions that do not comply with the new air quality criteria.

«It's a very useful tool.The complaint that I presented in 2005 was a trailblazer, convincing many associations and citizens to put pressure on the institutions and push for things to change.Ultimately, this is exactly what I tried to say with my complaint:if limits are set by law, those limits must then be respected.Otherwise it's all useless."