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

Spring 2005. A satellite photo shows Lombardy covered in a thick layer of smog. Emissions of atmospheric particles – PM10 and PM2.5 – have reached levels well beyond those authorized by law and citizens are increasingly concerned about the risks that such prolonged exposure to fine dust can have on health. Among them, there is also Enrico Fedrighini, who decides to file a complaint with the European Commission for non-compliance with the European limits set by the Air Quality Directive. “I was the first Italian citizen to initiate this procedure for problems related to pollution,” he says. Open Fedrighini, now city councilor of Milan and holder of a master's degree from the University of Pavia in “Assessment and control of toxicological risks linked to environmental pollutants”. Five years later, in 2010, its complaint was accepted: Brussels opened an infringement procedure against Italy, which was condemned in 2022 by the Court of Justice of the European Union for “systematically exceeding the limit value of nitrogen from carbon dioxide. Fedrighini's approach 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. However, almost twenty years after this complaint was filed, air pollution in the Po Valley remains a health emergency.

How did the decision to file this complaint with the European Commission come about?

“In 2005, I was not a municipal councilor, I was a simple citizen. My objective was to put local administrations on notice about the problem of pollution. Faced with the data of these weeks, the only reaction of the mayor of Milan Gabriele Albertini was to advise families “to take the children to the countryside”, while the regional president Roberto Formigoni blamed the wood-fired ovens of the pizzerias. In Milan, we do not breathe healthy air and my complaint was the first to confirm this. I went to the office in Corso Magenta, where the European Commission is based, and asked for information on how to file a complaint. I still remember the panic that reigned in the municipality when the news first appeared in the newspapers. »

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

“The complaint was accepted and infringement proceedings were initiated against Italy, the same one that led to a conviction by the Court of Justice of the EU in 2022. This shows that my complaint was justified and well-founded. Italy now risks having to pay a fine of more than a billion euros for this offense. All the money that could have been spent on strengthening public transport and starting to solve the pollution problem. I know perfectly well that my action was not decisive, but it was a step that had to be taken.”

Nearly 20 years after this complaint, smog in the Po Valley remains an emergency. However, between the municipality of Milan and the Lombardy Region the rags fly. Who has the most responsibilities?

“The ricochets of accusations that we have witnessed in recent days are a painful spectacle. The Lombardy Region undoubtedly bears enormous responsibility for this problem, starting with the management of Trenord, which has practically become a reimbursement agency for the continuous delays of its trains. Sorry to say it, but today the operation of Trenord is a constant incentive to use the private car, which also represents one of the main sources of polluting substances if we only consider 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 is not yet doing enough. I see little courage on the part of the administration in taking measures related to the liberation of public space and the reduction of private traffic. Solutions such as Zone B and Zone C can be useful, but not if they are implemented only to force citizens to change cars. It just makes the car dealers happy.”

The agreement The agreements concluded in recent days by the European institutions on air quality provide for a 10-year derogation so that the Po valley can comply with the new constraints. What do you think?

“I believe that the granting of exemptions must be linked to a serious and rigorous plan of measures to strengthen public transport. Otherwise, what good are these ten extra years given to us? To do the rain dance?

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

“It’s a very useful tool. The complaint that I filed in 2005 was pioneering, it convinced many associations and citizens to put pressure on institutions and push things to change. Ultimately, this is precisely what I was trying to say with my complaint: if limits are set by law, then those limits must be respected. Otherwise, it's all for nothing. »

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