Steelworks a symbol of European Commission’s failure to enforce its own regulations
MEPs from The Left in the European Parliament today carried out an inspection of the ex-ILVA steelworks plant in Taranto, Italy, which is the subject of an ongoing investigation by the European Ombudsman.
Left MEPs Valentina Palmisano, Mario Furore and Carolina Morace met with management of the site, port authorities and local activists before taking part in a sit-in protest against proposals to prolong the life of the steelworks site despite the impact on the health of locals and workers.
The visit follows the announcement in July by the European Ombudsman Teresa Anjinho that an inquiry has been opened against the European Commission over its failure to progress its own infringement procedure for over 12 years. The investigation was opened after Left MEP Valentina Palmisano together with former ILVA workers and local NGO Peacelink submitted an official complaint.
Elevated cancer, morbidity and mortality rates have been pervasive among steelworkers and local residents in the surroundings of the plant, to the point that in 2022 the United Nations classified Taranto as a “human sacrifice zone”. A European infringement procedure against Italy was launched in 2013 but no action has resulted in those years, as residents continue to suffer the consequences of air, soil and groundwater pollution.
Speaking from Taranto today, MEP Valentina Palmisano (Movimento 5 Stelle, Italy) said: “While the citizens of Taranto continue to pay the price of political choices and the inertia of the past, the European Commission, ignoring the real needs of the local communities, continues to invest cohesion resources in the plant. We will never tire of voicing the pain of this community, which for years has been told that it faces a false choice between their jobs or their health. Today, more than ever, we stand alongside the associations fighting this unsustainable situation. A different future for Taranto exists, and it can be achieved using the Just Transition Fund, which could provide significant European funding to convert the city’s economy.”
