Highlights
– Angry residents in Naples burn rubbish in city’s streets
– Ongoing garbage crisis aggravated by rising summer season temperatures
– PM Silvio Berlusconi plans to hold inaugural cabinet meeting in city, pledges to hold true to campaign promise
On May 18, 2008, Naples residents’ expressed increasing anger due to the rising stench of months of uncollected garbage, in some cases using the waste as barricades in protest, and in others, setting piles of trash aflame.
As we previously reported, clashes erupted across the country in January 2008 as an ongoing dispute with Naples-based crime syndicate, Camorra, continues (Previous Report). Due to months of uncollected garbage, trash continues to clog the streets of the Italian port city, leading to angry residents and surprised tourists who are increasingly opting to shorten their stay in the tourist city.
In a last-ditch attempt to solve the crisis, former Italian Prime Minister (PM) Romano Prodi established a “trash tsar” in an effort to clean up the city’s mess by May 2008. His efforts faltered due to seemingly weak government practices and the strong-arm of the Italian Mafia leaving newly re-elected PM Silvio Berlusconi left holding the reigns. Among campaign election promises involving economic and immigration reform, PM Berlusconi vowed to put an end to the ongoing garbage crisis afflicting Naples, reminding residents of his plans to hold his first cabinet meeting in the city.
Residents React
On May 18, 2008, media reports indicated residents, fed up with the stench from months of uncollected garbage piling up in the streets of the Italian port city, had begun constructing barricades out of rubbish in protest at the long-running garbage collection crisis. Additionally, over the course of several days, Naples residents’ set scores of odorous trash piles alight. Finally, as tensions flared, sporadic violence broke out as some residents began lobbing stones at firefighters as firefighters worked to put out an estimated 84 blazes per night.
Approximately 6,000 tons of household garbage currently litters the streets of Naples as another 5,000 tons line the roads of the surrounding Campania region. In early May 2008, the European Commission (EC) launched legal action against Italy before a European Union (EU) court due to its failure to effectively tackle the garbage crisis. The proceedings are ongoing, and present a likely effort to pressure the Italian government into action against the Camorra crime syndicate and mob-controlled waste disposal procedures.
PM Berlusconi Determined to Resolve Crisis
As we previously reported, among fervent campaign election promises involving economic and immigration reform, newly re-elected PM Silvio Berlusconi has vowed to put an end to the ongoing garbage crisis afflicting Naples (Previous Report). Immediately following his April 2008 re-election victory, the PM declared, “I will be in Naples three days a week.” Further, PM Berlusconi re-affirmed his commitment to dealing with the issue and attempting to calm the rising resentment of Naples’ residents over perceived failures of the Italian government by promising to hold his inaugural cabinet meeting in the Italian port city. The meeting is scheduled to occur on Wednesday, May 21, 2008.
Amid the recent outbreak of rubbish burning, and violence against firefighters, PM Silvio Berlusconi remains outwardly committed to resolving the crisis stating, “I am no longer prepared to wait until everyone is in agreement, while the piles of rubbish become mountains of trash.”
As of Yet, No End in Sight
Despite former Italian PM Romano Prodi’s plans to revitalize appropriate and legalized waste disposal in Italian cities, these efforts failed to address the real issue at hand, the Naples-based Mafia and local government politicians who appear powerless or unwilling to put an end to the Camorra’s control in the area. As Camorra controls the entire garbage disposal process, including running the dumps and various waste transport companies, resulting in a highly lucrative business which anti-Mafia Italian prosecutors estimate is $880 million per year, it is unlikely Camorra will seek to change its ways, nor pull out of the waste disposal business altogether.
The threat of Mafia-based violence continues to plague Naples and the surrounding areas. In the past, Camorra attacks have harmed foreign nationals visiting the tourist-friendly city leading to wider concerns Camorra activities may negatively impact Naples’ lucrative tourist industry. Additionally, Naples’ tourism sector is beginning to show signs of distress due to the rising stench of uncollected garbage as the summer season temperatures begin to rise. Specifically, hotel managers and owners have begun reporting tourists canceling reservations or checking out early after smelling the stench as the weather warms.
The fruits of PM Berlusconi’s election promises remain to be seen, however, his public declaration of his intention to quickly and formally address the garbage crisis is generally viewed as an encouraging sign.
