A referendum on offshore
drilling for oil and gas in Italy cannot take place at the same
time as June local elections, Interior Minister Angelino Alfano
said Wednesday.
He said an ad-hoc law would be needed to schedule the
referendum at some other date.
Alfano said holding a so-called 'election day' with both
the local elections and the referendum had thrown up "technical
difficulties that are not able to be solved in an administrative
way".
Italy's Constitutional Court gave the green light on
January 19 to the referendum on drilling for oil and gas in
Italy, a decision welcomed by regional councils and
environmental groups concerned about the effects of offshore
drilling on marine ecosystems.
The referendum will cover the duration of authorisations to
explore as well as already authorised drilling of fields. It was
proposed by regional assemblies who are objecting to drilling
platforms because of worries about seismic stability and the
environment.
Premier Matteo Renzi's government is reportedly mulling a
specific modification to its "Unblock Italy" infrastructure
projects decree related to the duration of drilling, which will
be the focus of the referendum approved by the court.
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