Miteni trial: PFAS must be banned in the EU

Yesterday marked the conclusion of the Miteni trial in Vicenza. The Italian court sentenced eleven chemical company executives — including from Mitsubishi and ICIG — to up to 17 years in prison for polluting water used by hundreds of thousands of people with PFAS through the Miteni plant.

Cristina Guarda MEP, Greens/EFA Member of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, comments: 

"This is a historic ruling, which goes even further than the prosecutors' requests and is of immense value to the people. We have fought for over a decade to defend our health, our  environment, and the food we eat and our efforts have finally been recognized. The ruling also has great political value because it recognizes the  “polluter pays” principle. Our call for a universal ban on PFAS at European level is now stronger and louder. 

"It is still regrettable that the institutions did not deal sooner with the largest case of PFAS pollution known in the world. There hasn’t been enough attention on this topic, even though the alarm was sounded a long time ago. It is imperative to act to defend our people, our food and our environment. The fight continues in Europe for the complete removal of these substances from consumer goods, agricultural and industrial production.”