Panel 1
Maria Camilla Mignuoli, Massimo Peleggi, Silvana Salvati (ISPRA), Valentina Galanti - Sogesid/Ministry of Ecological Transition, Angiolo Martinelli - Ministry of Ecological Transition
In implementation of Directive 91/676/EEC (Nitrate Directive), Legislative Decree 3 April 2006, n. 152, in article 92, paragraph 7, provides that the regions adopt and implement the mandatory action programs (PdA) for the protection and restoration of waters from pollution caused by nitrates of agricultural origin in the areas designated as vulnerable to nitrates (ZVN). Paragraph 8-bis of the aforementioned article 92 provides that the regions review and, if necessary, revise the mandatory action programs at least every four years. The PdA, together with the further measures undertaken in compliance with the Nitrates Directive (for example, designation of vulnerable zones), constitute basic measures of the programs of measures of the Water Protection Plans (art. 121 of Legislative Decree 152/2006) and of the River Basin Management Plans (art. 117 of Legislative Decree 152/2006) and, as such, contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC.
All the regions in which zones vulnerable to nitrates have been designated for at least a year have adopted the relevant Action Programme.
The indicator allows you to monitor the progress of the Action Programs (AP) of the regions in whose territory there are areas designated as vulnerable to nitrates (ZVN). These PdA are mandatory for the protection and restoration of waters from pollution caused by nitrates of agricultural origin and must be defined within one year of the designation of the ZVN.
Provide information on the progress of the PdA in order to monitor the level of implementation on the national territory of measures aimed at reducing water pollution caused, directly or indirectly, by nitrates of agricultural origin and to prevent any further pollution of this type.
• Council Directive 91/676/EEC of 12 December 1991 on the protection of waters from pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources.
• Legislative Decree 3 April 2006, n. 152 - "Regulations on environmental matters" - Part Three.
• Decree of 25 February 2016 "General technical criteria and standards for the regional regulation of the agronomic use of livestock effluents and waste water, as well as for the production and agronomic use of digestate."
The strategic objective of the PdA consists in the protection and rehabilitation of areas vulnerable to nitrates.
At an operational level it can be broken down as follows:
• limitation of the application of nitrogen fertilizers to the soil based on the balance between the foreseeable nitrogen requirement of the crops and the supply of nitrogen to the crops from the soil and from fertilization;
• promotion of integrated management strategies for livestock effluents in order to re-establish a sustainable and synergistic balance between agriculture and the environment.
Panel 2
The available historical series covers the following years: 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2025
None
Data quality assessment
Regions, autonomous provinces
Institutional sites of the regions and autonomous provinces.
National, Regional/Provincial
september 2019 - October 2025
Indicator assessment
ISPRA supports MASE in the context of activities aimed at monitoring the implementation of the Nitrates Directive (91/676/EEC). In this context, the measures undertaken by the autonomous regions/provinces are also monitored, which are responsible for the implementation of the directive in question on their territory, and which include the designations of the ZVNs and the adoption of the PdA within them. The methodology for developing the indicator consists in determining the updated number of APs adopted and comparing it with the number of autonomous regions/provinces on whose territory ZVNs exist. It should be noted that the autonomous regions/provinces, pursuant to article 92, paragraph 7, of Legislative Decree no. 152/2006, have one year to define the action programs to be implemented in the ZVNs starting from the date of designation of the latter. It follows that the failure to define APs in ZVNs designated for less than a year is not taken into consideration for the purposes of developing the indicator.
All the regions in which zones vulnerable to nitrates have been designated for at least a year have adopted the relevant Action Programme, thus highlighting a positive status as it is in line with the obligations set out in Article 5, paragraph 1, of Directive 91/676/EEC. This means that all agricultural companies and other types of similar production establishments (MiPAAF Decree of 25 February 2016) located in ZVN are subject to the measures of the regional Action Programmes. The territorial coverage of the APs adopted concerns all the ZVNs designated for at least one year (19 APs for as many autonomous regions/provinces with ZVN).
As with the October 2023 survey, the number of APs adopted, equal to 19 (Table 1), is equal to the number of regions/provinces with ZVN designated for at least one year. The situation therefore denotes a stable trend.
Data
Figure 1: Areas vulnerable to nitrates of agricultural origin (October 2025)
Table 1: Nitrate PdA adoption acts by region (history, review and information updated in October 2025)
MASE processing on regional information/regional websites
The APs adopted (Table 1) cover all the ZVNs designated on the national territory (Figure 1). Compared to October 2023, all the action programs already in force have been updated, in particular by: Basilicata, Emilia-Romagna, Liguria, Lazio, Lombardy, Piedmont, Puglia, Sicily, Umbria and Veneto. These updates have made it possible to strengthen the regulatory framework in force in the ZVNs with additional measures and consolidated actions with the aim of accelerating the achievement of the objectives of the Nitrates Directive. A further measure to strengthen the state of implementation of the directive on the national territory concerned the extension of the ZVN by the regions of Umbria and Lazio.
The regions have implemented (or started the procedures to implement) the regulations referred to in the aforementioned 2016 Ministerial Decree also in normal areas so as to correctly manage fertilization and prevent further pollution phenomena from nitrates of agricultural origin.