For the Lombardy Region, “the new Directive on air quality imposed by the European Union to combat air pollution introduces excessively rigid measures that risk suffocating the economic system of Lombardy, putting citizens in difficulty”. This was said by the undersecretary to the Presidency of the Lombardy Region with responsibility for international relations and with the EU, Raffaele Cattaneo, participating in the event organized by the Think Tank Bruegel entitled ‘Tackling air pollution in the EU: financing and policies for ‘clean Air’.
In his speech, Cattaneo underlined that, despite the significant efforts and emission reductions achieved in recent years, the parameters dictated by the EU are unattainable for Lombardy, as demonstrated by the LIFE PREPAIR project. “To reach these limits in our territory, drastic measures would be necessary, impossible to implement as the elimination of 75% of vehicles and the replacement of the remaining 25% with zero-emission vehicles; the replacement of 75% of methane domestic heating systems and 100% of biomass systems; the 60% reduction in pig and cattle farming and the closure of 75% of industrial activities”.
Measures would have drastic consequences on the Lombardy economy with an impact on GDP which, according to initial estimates, the Region estimates as a reduction of between 40% and 50%. Cattaneo then reiterated the need for a realistic integrated approach, which takes into account economic and social, as well as environmental, sustainability.
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