EC to send Italy final warning on trash crisis

ROME, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- The European Commission (EC) is to send Italy a final warning on the trash crisis in Campania, urging it to resolve the emergency or face possible fines, Italian News Agency ANSA said here on Thursday.

"The situation in Campania is intolerable and I understand well the frustration of residents who fear for their health," said EC Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas.

Italy is to be sent what is called a "motivated opinion" by the Commission, laying out the reasons why the country is in breach of community norms.

Rome will have a month to provide answers, after which the Commission could decide to refer the matter to the European Court of Justice.

"It is essential that Italian authorities not only take effective measures to resolve the crisis, as they are doing, but that they also create the infrastructure necessary to provide a lasting solution to the problems," Dimas said.

Three weeks ago, the Italian government named one of Italy's most decorated policemen to tackle the Naples waste crisis.

Ex-national police chief Gianni De Gennaro, 59, was given a three-month mandate to clean up the Campania region, bringing new systems on line and banishing the shadow of the Camorra crime syndicate.

Waste crises have hit Campania regularly for the last 15 years, coupled with protests against new disposal plans.

According to Italian environmental organizations, the Campania region's residents face serious health risks from the tons of toxic waste that have been buried across the region, much of it illegally.