B4-0254/94

Resolution on the accident at a chemical reactor in Pistoia province (Italy)

The European Parliament,

A.whereas on 11 October 1994, in Bottegone (Pistoia province, Italy), there was an explosion at the chemical reactor belonging to the 'Mas' factory, which produces glass, resin and laminated plastic, releasing a large toxic cloud into the atmosphere and provoking hundreds of cases of poisoning, the evacuation of the population and the contamination of large areas of agricultural land,

B.whereas the Italian authorities and press have provided only minimal information, especially to the local communities affected, concerning this serious and symbolic accident,

C.whereas Council Directive 82/501/EEC of 24 June 1982 on the major-accident hazards of certain industrial activities, most recently amended by Directive 91/692/EEC, concerns the prevention of major accidents which could arise from certain industrial activities and the limitation of their consequences for humans and the environment,

D.whereas the incorporation of directives into national law is in many cases, in certain Member States of the Union, merely a formality which is not followed up by adequate administrative implementation or by the necessary technical controls,

E.whereas the Council, in its resolution accompanying the fourth programme of action for the environment, has stressed the need for more effective implementation of Directive 82/501/EEC,

F.whereas there are still a large number of dangerous industrial installations, which are not classified as high-risk by the regional authorities,

1.Expresses its solidarity with the workers and citizens affected by the toxic cloud which was released following the explosion at the reactor belonging to a chemical factory in Pistoria province, and condemns the delays and inefficiency characterizing the security procedures adopted by the enterprise, and the failure of the regional authorities to classify the plant as being high-risk;

2.Calls on the Commission to make representations to the competent Italian authorities asking them to ascertain the exact causes of this accident, to enable the information to be communicated, with the necessary discretion, to enterprises characterized by similar possible risks;

3.Calls on the Italian health authorities to take all necessary actions to ensure monitoring of the mid-term and long-term effects of such accidents on the health of the persons affected;

4.Calls on the Commission to strengthen its own control measures concerning the implementation of the above Directive and, in this connection, to forward to Parliament, within six months, a White Paper covering the implementation in each Member State of its proposed legislative and administrative measures, the breaches of legislation discovered, and the high-risk industrial installations for which the proposed monitoring and prevention measures have not yet been adopted;

5.Calls on the Commission to examine the desirability, as soon as possible, of instituting an environmental rehabilitation plan, including the possible physical transfer of high-risk installations, and to propose extraordinary preventive measures for the most sensitive industrial areas;

6.Calls on the Commission to ensure that the new proposal for a Council directive (COM(94)0004) is supplemented as soon as possible by more comprehensive and appropriate technical and scientific assessments, so as to provide greater assistance to the national administrations in the performance of their responsibilities;

7.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council and the Italian Government.