Italy is among nine EU
countries that have been called on by Environment Commissioner
Karmenu Vella to take part in a ministerial summit in Brussels
on January 30 to find solutions to the problem of air pollution.
Like Italy, the other States, Czech Republic, Germany, Spain,
France, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Britain, face
infringement procedures for exceeding agreed air pollution
limits.
"This meeting on air quality has been called for three
reasons," Vella said in a statement.
"To protect citizens. To clarify that if there is no
improvement of air quality there are legal consequences. And to
remind Member States that this step is at the end of a long,
some would say too long, period of offers to help, advice given,
and warnings made.
"Our first responsibility as the Commission is to the
millions of Europeans - young and old, sick and healthy - who
suffer from poor air quality.
"Parents of a child suffering from bronchitis or a daughter
of someone with pulmonary disease want to see improvements in
air quality as soon as possible.
"For them, action plans with a 10-12 year timescale or
ineffective plans are useless".
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