Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-003134/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Valentina Palmisano (The Left), Danilo Della Valle (The Left)
Located in an area known as the ‘land of fires’, the Municipality of Acerra is still in the grip of an environmental and health crisis of major proportions. Both the National Institute of Health’s SENTIERI project and studies analysing the Napoli 2 Nord public health authority’s cancer registry have linked the high number of cancers and malformations in Acerra to prolonged exposure to environmental pollutants.
Though EU funds have been made available for decontamination operations, less than 30 % of the total has been used, according to the Court of Auditors. Many projects have yet to be completed, including the construction of a facility in Acerra to protect the groundwater table from contamination. In addition, the European Court of Human Rights (Cannavacciuolo v. Italy, 2025) recently found that the authorities’ prolonged inaction had resulted in a violation of the right to life.
In view of the above:
- 1.Does the Commission hold that the current arrangements to monitor public health and the environment in Acerra are appropriate, and will it bolster them by means of the European Environment Agency, Horizon Europe projects or other EU instruments?
- 2.Will the Commission launch technical audits or on-the-spot verification missions to ascertain whether EU-backed projects are indeed being implemented and whether European funds are being used transparently?
- 3.What immediate action can it take to ensure that campaigns providing free cancer screening are set up in the hardest-hit municipalities, including Acerra?
Submitted: 30.7.2025