Alfonso Andria, on behalf of the ALDE Group. – (IT) Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, we must resist the temptation to exploit this issue and instead let objectivity and intellectual honesty prevail, without disregarding the disputes surrounding it. The problem is this: the interest of organised crime and its infiltration into waste management, which has resulted in countless illegal dumps scattered over the Campania region; the constant acceptance of dangerous and toxic waste from other regions, especially northern Italy; the weakness of the local authorities; the cultural backwardness of the population in its approach to waste as a resource; the vetoes relating to the siting of various waste disposal plant, even by representatives of the local Catholic Church; the divisions not only in political but also in scientific circles regarding, for example, disposal methods; the inadequate technology chosen for the planned end-disposal plant following a European call for tenders in Campania in 1998.

Today we have massive state intervention. Politicians, all politicians, have finally understood that more needs to be done; for over the past 14 years, whether as a member of the government or the opposition, whether at local, regional or national level, none of the political parties has managed to come up with firm, determined and coherent answers.

We therefore appreciate the great gesture of solidarity several Italian regions, including those from the centre-right, have made to support Campania at this extremely serious time, helping it to restore the image it deserves in terms of the attractions of its culture and landscape, productive resources and talents.

This is not the moment for those who bear primary responsibility and are to blame for the entire policy to evade or deny it. It is the moment to assume responsibility, which is why I appreciate the approach Commissioner Dimas took in his statement, a constructive approach that sees Europe as not just imposing sanctions, confining itself to sanctions, but as also helping a Member State to resolve a crisis.