Approved by the Senate with a large majority (165 votes in favour, 49 against and 18 abstentions), the bill on environmental crimes. From today, if the legislation is also approved as it stands by the Chamber of Deputies, crimes against the environment become criminal offences.

"After the vote by an overwhelming majority in the Senate, we are very close to the definitive approval of a law we have been waiting for for over 20 years. The protection of the environment, of health and of the healthy part of the economy can no longer wait," declared Stefano Ciafani, vice president of Legambiente and Enrico Fontana, national coordinator of Libera.

Offences such as "environmental disaster", "environmental pollution", "culpable offences against the environment", "trafficking and dumping of highly radioactive material" will be inserted into the penal code. Environmental crimes that are joined by the prohibition of the "air gun" technique — a system for inspecting the seabed by means of compressed air blasts. The government, as reported by Ansa, "commits to not issuing new authorisations relating to offshore hydrocarbon prospecting, exploration and production, and storage activities, and to not pursuing proceedings currently under examination".

Italy is on the right track to finally equipping itself with adequate criminal legislation for the effective protection of the environment.

The WWF is also satisfied: "After today's vote in the Senate, Italy is on the right track to finally equipping itself with adequate criminal legislation for the effective protection of the environment. The proposal also establishes that criminal sanctions may be imposed on legal persons (companies, businesses) as well, which are often the real parties responsible for conduct that is harmful to the environment."

These words add to those of Environment Minister Gianluca Galletti from a few days ago: "I am extremely in favour of environmental crime legislation. We must push forward tougher regulations to punish those who do not comply with the rules."

Regret remains, however, particularly with regard to the Eternit trial, which lapsed due to the statute of limitations: "The Eternit trial was practically struck down because the crime of environmental disaster does not yet exist, with the aggravating circumstance constituted by the illnesses and deaths of so many people. Nor does the obligation to carry out remediation exist, as the Court of Cassation has expressly noted," explained Senator Stefano Vaccari of the PD in a statement.