European court condemns Italy for mafia’s toxic waste dumping

30 January 2025 , 17:15

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European court condemns Italy for mafia’s toxic waste dumping

The vast amount of toxic waste in the area led to increased rates of cancer, the court found.

Italy has put the lives of its citizens at risk by not addressing illegal waste dumping by the mafia in the Campania region, the European Court of Human Rights ruled Thursday.

The landmark ruling found the Italian Republic was guilty of violating citizens’ right to life by failing "to deal with the problem of widespread dumping" on private land by criminal groups in the Terra dei Fuochi area — home to roughly 2.9 million people.

The case was brought by 41 Italian nationals living in the provinces of Caserta and Naples, and five regional organizations based in Campania.

Dubbed "the land of fires" because of the vast amounts of toxic waste dumped in the area, the illegal dumping has led to increased rates of cancer and pollution of groundwater, the court found.

Italy is being reprimanded for its inaction and a lack of due diligence "despite having known about the problem for many years" and the fact that "seven parliamentary commissions of inquiry have been set up into illegality in waste management," the ruling states.

The government now has two years to "draw up a comprehensive strategy" to fix the illegal waste dumping problem in Campania, including by setting up an "independent monitoring mechanism."

This is not the first time a European court has condemned Italy for failing to manage hazardous waste, particularly in the Campania region, where the Camorra mafia has played a significant role in illegal dumping.

In 2010, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that Italy broke EU law by failing to ensure adequate waste disposal in the Campania region.

Following the judgment, in December 2014, the court fined Italy €40 million for not addressing the issue — its highest-ever fine against an EU member country at that time. In 2015, the court fined Italy an additional €20 million and imposed a daily fine of €120,000 until the problems were resolved.

Sophia Martinez