Milan Court of Appeal orders Taranto's ex-Ilva hot area to close within 90 days unless asbestos removed and fine dust reduced

Court ruling

Ten members of the Genitori Tarantini association and one child with a rare genetic mutation, represented by lawyers Ascanio Amenduni and Maurizio Rizzo Striano, challenged the continued operation of the steelworks. The Milan Court of Appeal, in a decree signed by Judge Marianna Galioto, accepted their complaint and ordered the suspension of all hot-area steelmaking activities. The ruling gives companies Ilva SpA, Acciaierie d'Italia SpA and Acciaierie d'Italia Holding SpA (all in extraordinary administration) a 90-day window, starting from the last notification, to complete the shutdown under supervisory control.

The acceptance of the citizens' claims necessarily entails the suspension of activities in the plant's hot area.

Health risks and asbestos

Approximately 2,000 kilograms of asbestos remain inside the installations. Asbestos is the only known cause of malignant pleural mesothelioma, which appears at a rate four times higher than expected among the populations of Taranto and Statte. The court noted the plant's progressive deterioration and its persistent danger to public health. It partially disapplied the 2025 Integrated Environmental Authorisation (AIA), arguing that the permit lacked adequate fine-dust protections for a production scenario of 6 million tonnes per year and, without binding decarbonisation obligations, the plant could run for another twelve years without cutting emissions.

The AIA lasts twelve years and, in the absence of a binding link between decarbonisation plans and the continuation of full-cycle activity, the activity may continue without decarbonisation for another twelve years.

Legal precedent and partial rejection

The appeal decision expands on a February 2026 order by the Tribunal of Milan that had set a 24 August deadline to stop production over inadequate particulate controls but did not address asbestos. Today's ruling rests on a European Court of Justice judgment of 25 June 2024, which held that when a steel plant creates serious dangers for the environment and human health, its operation must be suspended and deadlines for protective measures cannot be repeatedly extended. The court upheld the citizens' claims on asbestos and fine dust but rejected their request regarding greenhouse gas reductions.

Government and political reaction

The verdict landed on the eve of a 28 July meeting at Palazzo Chigi between the government and trade unions to discuss the Ilva group's condition and the ongoing sale procedure. A cabinet meeting is also scheduled for 3 August with urgent Ilva provisions on the agenda. Mario Turco, vice-president of the Five Star Movement, issued a statement criticising the government's handling of the case.

The ruling certifies the failure of the strategy pursued so far by the Meloni government and Minister Urso. The confirmation of the closure of the hot area, motivated by the persistence of serious risks to health and the environment of the citizens of Taranto, demonstrates that the measures adopted in recent years have been entirely insufficient.

Next steps

The three affected companies must now complete the hot-area shutdown within 90 days, supervised by the control authority. Only after the integral removal of the asbestos and the reduction of fine dust emissions to safe levels will the plant be allowed to restart. The decision tightens the conditions set by the lower court and highlights the inadequacy, in the judges' view, of the 2025 AIA as a protective framework for large-scale steel production in Taranto.