Raffaele TOPO

Policy topics Raffaele TOPO is active on

What Raffaele TOPO has said (4)

• 2025-10-15 “P-004051/2025 Answer given by Ms Roswall on behalf of the European Commission In case C-653/13 1 , the Court of Justice of the EU condemned Italy to pay a daily penalty of EUR 120 000 for failure to establish an integrated and adequate waste management system in Campania. The penalty was divided in three parts (each EUR 40 000) concerning three different categories of waste treatment installations: (i) landfills, (ii) incineration and (iii) plants for the treatment of the organic fraction. For the 12 th semester after the judgment, Italy demonstrated that the part concerning the incineration capacity had been resolved in particular with the commissioning of the Acerra incinerator. The Commission therefore granted a onethird reduction in the penalty. The Commission is currently assessing the progress made by Italy within the framework of the 16 th semester after the judgment. The infringement procedure will be closed when Italy demonstrates that it fully complies with the judgment. 1 https://curia.europa.eu/juris/liste.jsf?num=C-653/13.”
  Circular economy · EU policy on urban development
• 2025-09-24 “E-003712/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Mînzatu on behalf of the European Commission The Working Time Directive 2003/88/EC 1 sets minimum requirements for workers’ health and safety, including 11 consecutive hours of daily rest and 35 hours of weekly rest, with a 48-hour average weekly working time limit. On-call and stand-by are periods during which workers must remain available to resume their work in case of need. On-call time refers to periods where a worker is required to remain at the workplace or another place determined by the employer. During stand-by, a worker must be reachable but is not required to remain at a place determined by the employer. The Court of Justice held that time spent on-call must count as working time. Stand-by periods qualify as working time when the constraints imposed by the employer have an objective and very significant impact on the worker’s possibility to freely manage the time during which services are not required 2 . In 2023, the Commission adopted an Interpretative Communication on the Working Time Directive 3 , which aims to increase legal certainty and clarity. It provides clarifications on stand-by, on the duration and timing of such duties, explaining the elements to qualify standby duties as working time or rest periods under the Directive. The Commission fully respects the autonomy of the Member States and the social partners to regulate working time within the framework of EU law. It currently does not plan to launch a structured dialogue on the above subject nor to propose a revision of Directive 2003/88/EC. 1 Directive 2003/88/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 November 2003 concerning certain aspects of the organisation of working time, OJ L 299, 18.11.2003, p. 9‐19 - https://eurlex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2003/88/oj/eng. 2 Case C-303/98, Simap; case C-151/02, Jaeger; case C-14/04, Dellas and Others; case C-437/05, Vorel; case C518/15, Matzak; case C-344/19, Radiotelevizija Slovenija; case C-580/19, Stadt Offenbach am Main; case C107/19, Dopravní podnik hl. m. Prahy; case C-214/20, Dublin City Council. 3 Corrigendum to Communication from the Commission, Interpretative Communication on Directive 2003/88/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning certain aspects of the organisation of working time, OJ C 143, 26.4.2023, p. 8-77 - https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legalcontent/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv%3AOJ.C_.2023.143.01.0008.01.ENG&toc=OJ%3AC%3A2023%3A143%3ATO C.”
  EU regulation of cross-border and posted workers · EU rules on hazardous working conditions
• 2025-06-27 “E-002607/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Mînzatu on behalf of the European Commission 1. Directive 2003/88/EC 1 limits weekly working time and sets minimum daily and weekly rest and paid annual leave. It covers all workers in the EU including doctors in an employment relationship (i.e. not those who are self-employed). Concerning safety and health at work, Council Directive 89/391/EEC 2 lays down obligations on the employer, including assessment of all risks to which workers are or can be exposed and resulting preventive and protective measures. The Directive covers physical and psychosocial risks and applies to all sectors, both public and private, including doctors. The Commission does not intend to define common criteria for the recognition of such risks faced by workers, including doctors, as hazardous work. Article 153(5) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) excludes pay from the areas in which the EU can adopt legislation, thereby preventing the EU from directly setting or regulating remuneration, including for professions such as doctors. 2. Article 153(2)(a) of the TFEU prohibits the EU from any harmonisation of the laws and regulations of the Member States, so harmonisation of national legislative standards on doctors’ working conditions is not possible. The Commission supports Member States addressing health workforce challenges. A forthcoming survey of health professionals under EU4Health 3 led by World Health Organisation (WHO) Europe, will provide feedback on national policies on factors influencing mental health and wellbeing in the workplace. Working conditions for nurses are addressed through an EU4Health funded Nursing Action 4 led by WHO Europe in partnership with European nursing associations and social partners. The Commission also supports social dialogue at EU level in the hospitals and healthcare sector. 1 Directive 2003/88/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 November 2003 concerning certain aspects of the organisation of working time - https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2003/88/oj/eng. 2 Council Directive 89/391/EEC on the introduction of measures to encourage improvements in the safety and health of workers at work, OJ L 183, 29.6.1989, p. 1–8 - https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/1989/391/oj/eng. 3 WHO/Europe launches first-of-its-kind survey on mental health of health-care professionals https://www.who.int/europe/news-room/events/item/2024/10/22/default-calendar/who-europe-launches-first-ofits-kind-survey-on-mental-health-of-health-care-professionals. 4 Launch of the first EU action to address nurse shortages shows positive impact of European Health Union https://health.ec.europa.eu/latest-updates/launch-first-eu-action-address-nurse-shortages-shows-positive-impacteuropean-health-union-2025-01-17_en.”
  EU rules on hazardous working conditions · EU competences on health · EU competences on social policies
• 2025-01-17 “E-000198/2025 Answer given by Ms Roswall on behalf of the European Commission The Commission has no specific information about the alleged impacts of the project mentioned by the Honourable Members (‘Upgrading the Arena San Antonio (ASA) wastewater collector’) on any Natura 2000 site. Under Article 6(3) of the Habitats Directive 1 , any project likely to have a significant effect on a Natura 2000 site shall be subject to an appropriate assessment of its implications for the site in view of the site's conservation objectives. Italy has transposed the above provisions into its national legislation 2 and has adopted appropriate national guidelines 3 to improve their implementation. The Campania region has also transposed the national guidelines into its legal order 4 . According to publicly available information 5 , on 30 January 2025 Italian authorities suspended, for 365 days, the authorisation of the project mentioned by the Honourable Members, pending the conclusion of the compliance verification procedure for the environmental conditions that need to be respected and checked so as to prevent or minimise possible impacts on the environment, and which are set by decree of the Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security n. 421 of 29 November 2024 6 . Such environmental conditions were established following an appropriate assessment of possible implications of the project on the Special Area of Conservation ‘Fondali marini di Gaiola e Nisida’ (IT8030041). Regarding projects funded under the Recovery and Resilience Plan 7 , Member States are required to ensure compliance of specific projects with EU and national law, including the Do No Significant Harm (DNSH) principle. 1 Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora, OJ L 206, 22.7.1992, p. 7–50. 2 https://www.mase.gov.it/pagina/la-valutazione-di-incidenzavinca#:~:text=Si%20tratta%20del%20processo%20d,di%20significativit%C3%A0%20di%20tali%20incidenze 3 https://www.mase.gov.it/pagina/linee-guida-nazionali-la-valutazione-di-incidenza-vinca-direttiva-92-43-ceehabitat-articolo 4 "D.G.R. n. 280 del 30 giugno 2021, Recepimento delle ""Linee guida nazionali per la valutazione di incidenza (vinca) - direttiva 92/43/CEE ""habitat"" art. 6, paragrafi 3 e 4"". Aggiornamento delle ""Linee guida e criteri di indirizzo per l'effettuazione della valutazione di incidenza in Regione Campania"". " 5 https://commissari.gov.it/bagnoli/comunicazione/notizie/ad_dec_1_25/ https://commissari.gov.it/media/xtxphh3t/decreto-n1-del-30012025-signed.pdf 6 https://va.mite.gov.it/File/Documento/1178172 7 https://reform-support.ec.europa.eu/what-we-do/recovery-and-resilience-plans_en”
  EU policy on water management · Nature protection and restoration in the EU