ROME, Jan. 17 (UPI) -- The European Commission has told the Italian government it must resolve the ongoing trash collection problems in Naples and surrounding region.
Italy, in a letter Monday, said a regional trash management plan and shipment of garbage from Naples to plants in other parts of the country, should solve the problem, the Italian news agency ANSA reported. Discussions between the Italian environment minister, Corrado Clini, and European Commissioner for the Environment Janez Potocnik are scheduled for Jan. 25 in Brussels.
Trash problems in southern Italy became a European issue when a couple in Somma Vesuviana appealed to the European Court of Human Rights. The court ruled last week that piles of trash that have been dumped around their home since 1994 have violated their right to peaceful enjoyment of their dwelling.
The commission said in a statement that Italy appears to be moving in the right direction: "The commission looks favorably at these developments and exhorts the Italian authorities to assure effective implementation."
