Once again, we are highlighting the local groups and committees that belong to the Gruppo Suolo Europa [European Soil Group]. Groups we have previously featured include the Comitato di Salviamo Il Paesaggio di Cislago, Pro Natura Cuneo, Amici di Cuirone.
Here in brief are the aims, make-up and proposals of the Comitato No Bretella-Sì Mobilità Sostenibile Campogalliano, Modena, Formigine, Sassuolo.
In 2015, a group of well-informed and environmentally aware citizens who were concerned about soil consumption and sustainable mobility came together to form a committee and produced a text for a people’s petition to be sent to the EU. The petition criticized the uselessness in transport terms as well as the damage to the environment, landscape and soil that would be caused by the proposed new Campogalliano Sassuolo motorway created by extending the A22 South, as well as the illegitimacy of the renewal of the A22 motorway licence without any European tendering process. The justification for the renewal of the licence, which had expired in 2014, was given as the construction of the Capogalliano Sassuolo and Cispadana motorways through a finance project led by Autobrennero Ltd.
3200 signatures were collected and sent to the relevant EU Commissioner, who replied solely regarding the renewal of the A22 licence, asserting that renewal without tendering was in breach of a specific EU Directive and that they were confident that the Italian Government would not have committed such a breach (in the meantime the Directive in question had been accepted by the Italian Parliament). This was decisive in halting work already underway on the CS motorway link and was a great success for the committee, which has since been joined by a number of citizens’ groups and committees involved with the environment: Legambiente di Modena e Sassuolo, Italia Nostra, WWWF Emilia Centrale, lega per la difesa ecologica di Modena, Comitato Salute ambientale Campogalliano Mo, Associazione LiberaMente cittadino Formigine Mo, Comitato RespiriaMo Aria Pulita Mo, Comitato Agricoltura Ambiente Bagno Re, Associazione ISDE Mo, FIAB Mo, Rete Economia Sociale Mo.
After an initial phase in which the potential damage to the environment, climate, hydrology and landscape was assessed, more strategic alternatives were examined and suggested, with expert help, for dealing with the problem posed by logistics for goods from the ceramic district, one of the largest in Europe. In this way it was possible to suggest solutions to traffic congestion in certain areas, but with much lower impact and at lower cost.
The current situation is described in an open letter sent recently to institutions and the general public in the Modena and Reggio Emilia areas.
For more information contact: Nora Eriuccio – Comitato No Bretella-Sì Mobilità Sostenibile nora.eriuccio@gmail.com
Gruppo Suolo Europa 