EU opens infringement procedure against Italy over waste management failures
The EU has opened an infringement procedure against Italy over its failure to abide by Europe’s Landfill Directive, which sets out strict requirements intended to prevent waste from having adverse effects on human health and the environment, the European Commission said on Wednesday.
The Commission said that Italy failed to report both incinerated and hazardous waste in accordance with the given guidelines, and failed to abide by “prescriptions concerning gas monitoring and groundwater sampling in landfills.”
The same infringement procedure was opened against France.
The EU’s Landfill Directive compels member states to meet a set of waste management and disposal requirements aimed at preventing negative effects on human health, water, soil and air.
Under the directive, EU states must ensure that only waste that has been subject to the proper treatment is landfilled.
The Landfill Directive also sets a target for member states to reduce landfilling of municipal waste to 10 percent of the total by 2035.
Bus drivers in Rome to hold four-hour strike over workplace safety
Drivers on a total of 39 bus lines in Rome are set to hold a four-hour strike on Thursday in protest against a series of recent attacks on staff, Italian trade unions USB and Orsa said in a joint statement.
The walkout, which is scheduled to start at 8pm and end at midnight, will affect 39 lines operated by Atac, the city’s main public transport company. You can find a full list of the affected lines here.
Atac said in a statement on Wednesday that night services (linee notturne) won’t be affected by the protest.
The strike follows a series of attacks deliberately targeting bus drivers, according to unions.
“We don’t want to wait until workers and passengers suffer physical harm from these serious attacks.
“Workers need to be sure they can go home safely at the end of their workday – no ifs or buts!” unions said.
Italy denies Israeli spyware firm has cut ties with Rome after reports of misuse
Italy on Wednesday denied that Israeli spyware firm Paragon had cut ties with Rome after allegations that the Italian government had illegally used its technology to target critics instead of criminals.
"Paragon has never suspended the service and has not terminated its contract," the undersecretary for intelligence matters, Alfredo Mantovano, said.
Meta's WhatsApp service said earlier this month that Paragon technology had targeted scores of users in over 20 countries, including Italy.
Italy's government later said that seven mobile phone users in the country had been targeted by the spyware, but denied any involvement in the illegal hack, referring the matter to the National Cybersecurity Agency.
The Guardian and Haaretz newspapers reported last week that Paragon had terminated its client relationship with Italy after determining the country had broken the terms of service and ethical framework agreed in their contract.
But Mantovano said on Wednesday that Paragon was still working with Italy.
Luca Ciriani, Italy’s minister for parliamentary relations, also addressed the issue, saying that Paragon’s “systems have been and are fully operational against those who threaten the interests and security of the nation".
Paragon is among several firms that have emerged in recent years offering sophisticated surveillance tools to government clients. Critics argue these companies enable rights abuses under the guise of national security operations.
Telecommunications giant Telecom Italia agrees to sell sea cable network to Rome
Telecom Italia's board of directors on Wednesday unanimously approved a €700-million bid by the Italian state to buy its optical fibre submarine cable network, which Rome views as a strategic asset.
TIM's Sparkle unit owns and manages more than 600,000 kilometres of cables that allow the flow of data across the world, notably in Europe, the Mediterranean and North America.
"The signing will take place by April 11, 2025, and the sale is expected to be finalised by the first quarter of 2026" pending various authorisations, TIM said in a statement.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government made the bid in December for TIM's 100-percent stake in Sparkle along with Retelit SpA, a firm controlled by Spain's Asterion Industrial Partners.
In November 2023, the TIM board turned down a non-binding offer from US investment fund KKR of €600 million.
With reporting from AFP.
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