Descrizione 1
Maria Camilla Mignuoli, Massimo Peleggi, Silvana Salvati (ISPRA), Valentina Galanti - Sogesid/Ministero della Transizione Ecologica, Angiolo Martinelli - Ministero della Transizione Ecologica
In implementation of Directive 91/676/EEC (Nitrates Directive), Legislative Decree of April 3, 2006, No. 152, in Article 92, paragraph 7, requires Regions to adopt and implement mandatory action programs (PdA) for the protection and recovery of water from pollution caused by agricultural nitrates in areas designated as Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (ZVN). Paragraph 8-bis of the same article requires Regions to review and, if necessary, revise the mandatory action programs at least every four years.
The PdA, along with additional measures undertaken in compliance with the Nitrates Directive (e.g. designation of vulnerable zones), constitute baseline measures for the action plans of Water Protection Plans (Article 121 of Legislative Decree No. 152/2006) and Basin Management Plans (Article 117 of Legislative Decree No. 152/2006). These plans contribute to achieving the objectives of the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC.
All regions with nitrate vulnerable zones designated for at least one year have adopted the relevant Action Program.
The indicator allows monitoring the progress of Action Programs (PdA) in regions with territories designated as nitrate vulnerable zones (ZVN). These PdAs are mandatory for the protection and recovery of water from pollution caused by agricultural nitrates and must be defined within one year of the ZVN designation.
To provide insights into the progress of PdA to monitor the level of implementation of measures across the national territory aimed at reducing water pollution caused, directly or indirectly, by agricultural nitrates and preventing any further such pollution.
• Council Directive 91/676/EEC, dated December 12, 1991, concerning the protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources. • Legislative Decree of April 3, 2006, No. 152 - "Environmental Regulations" - Part Three. • Decree of February 25, 2016 - "Criteria and general technical standards for regional regulations on the agronomic use of livestock effluents and wastewater, as well as for the production and agronomic use of digestate."
The strategic goal of Action Programs (PdA) is the protection and recovery of nitrate-vulnerable zones.
At the operational level, it can be outlined as follows: • Limiting the application of nitrogen fertilizers to the soil, ensuring a balance between the foreseeable nitrogen needs of crops and the nitrogen supplied to crops through soil and fertilization. • Promoting integrated management strategies for livestock effluents to restore a sustainable and synergistic balance between agriculture and the environment.
Descrizione 2
Institutional websites of Regions and Autonomous Provinces; census updated by MASE (Table 1).
The time-series available covers four annualities (2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023).
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Qualificazione dati
Institutional sites of autonomous regions and provinces.
National, Regional/Provincial
september 2019 - October 2023
Qualificazione indicatore
ISPRA supports MASE in monitoring the implementation of the Nitrates Directive (91/676/EEC). In this context, the measures undertaken by Regions/Autonomous Provinces, responsible for implementing the directive in their territories, are also monitored. These measures include the designation of Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (ZVN) and the adoption of Action Programs (PdA) within these zones.
The methodology for creating the indicator involves determining the updated number of adopted PdAs and comparing it to the number of regions/autonomous provinces with ZVN in their territories. It should be noted that, according to Article 92, paragraph 7, of Legislative Decree No. 152/2006, Regions/Autonomous Provinces have one year from the date of ZVN designation to define the action programs to be implemented. Therefore, the absence of PdA in ZVN designated less than a year ago is not considered in the indicator's evaluation.
All Regions with zones designated as nitrate vulnerable for at least one year have adopted the relevant Action Program, demonstrating a positive status aligned with the obligations set forth in Article 5, paragraph 1, of Directive 91/676/EEC. Consequently, all agricultural enterprises and other similar types of productive settlements (as per the MiPAAF Decree of February 25, 2016) located in ZVN are subject to the measures outlined in the regional Action Programs. The territorial coverage of adopted PdA encompasses all ZVN designated for at least one year (19 PdA across 19 regions/autonomous provinces with ZVN).
As of the September 2022 assessment, the number of adopted Action Programs (PdA), amounting to 19 as shown in Table 1, matches the number of Regions/Autonomous Provinces with Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (ZVN) designated for at least one year. This situation indicates a stable trend.
Dati
Table 1: Acts of adoption PdA synchronet by region (historic, review and info updated in October 2023)
MASE elaboration on regional regions/websites
Figure 1: Vulnerable areas of nitrates of agricultural origin (October 2023)
ISPRA processing on data provided by autonomous regions and provinces
The adopted PdA (Table 1) cover all ZVN designated nationwide (Figure 1). As of October 2023, Regions including Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lazio, Lombardia, Marche, Puglia, the Autonomous Province of Trento, Sardinia, Umbria, and Veneto have either updated or are finalizing the administrative adoption process of their existing Action Programs. These updates have strengthened the regulatory framework in ZVN with additional measures and consolidated actions aimed at accelerating the achievement of the Nitrates Directive objectives.
Another measure enhancing the directive's implementation nationwide involved the extension of ZVN in the Umbria and Piemonte Regions.
It is noteworthy that the MiPAAF Decree of February 25, 2016, updated the criteria and technical standards, initially set by the MiPAF Decree of April 7, 2006, for the Regional regulations concerning the agronomic use of livestock effluents and other organic matrices. Title V of the aforementioned MiPAAF Decree, "Agronomic Use in Nitrate Vulnerable Zones," which could be referred to as the "National Action Program," establishes the minimum requirements that Regions/Autonomous Provinces must adhere to in drafting their PdA.
All regions listed in Table 1, which have designated nitrate vulnerable zones, have either adopted or initiated procedures to adopt the regulations outlined in the 2016 Decree.