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* Admissibility date reflects the date the case was officially registered. All other dates pertain to the date in which a stage was completed.
Case Description
End of July 2021, the EIB Group Complaints Mechanism Division (EIB-CM) received a complaint on the regular overflow of wastewater from the end section of the intermunicipal wastewater collector passing through the complainant’s property and connecting to the Carovigno wastewater treatment plant (the plant). The infrastructure concerned is not financed by the EIB but is an associated facility to the plant financed by the Bank. It is part of an investment programme which consists of multiple operations to increase the quality and coverage of water and wastewater services in Southern Italy.
After conducting a review of available information, the EIB-CM finds that the EIA did not in its assessment include the infrastructure as an essential associated facility for the proper functioning of the scheme. However, under the procedures that apply to investment programmes, the CM concludes that the Bank was not required to perform a detailed review of all EIAs. The CM finds that the Bank did not assess relevant infringement cases to scope its due diligence accordingly and makes a suggestion for improvement for the EIB Environmental and Social procedures to provide guidelines how this should be performed.
EIB-CM did not find evidence of potential maladministration by the Bank but considering the overflows negatively affect the project objectives and with a view to minimising the E&S impacts of associated facilities, suggestions for improvements are made for the Bank to request the promoter as part of its regular reporting to report on overflows, efforts undertaken and results achieved as well as on any ongoing litigation. The Bank should report on its monitoring of the E&S issues and in case the matter remains unresolved, it could consider undertaking monitoring site visits.