Milan court rejects second appeal against shutdown of ex-ILVA steel furnaces

Court ruling and legal reasoning

The Milan Court of Appeals rejected a second petition by Ilva SpA and Acciaierie d'Italia to suspend the ordered shutdown of the Taranto steelworks furnaces. The judicial panel, presided over by Giuseppe Ondei alongside judges Del Vecchio and Cortelloni, determined that the constitutional right to health takes precedence over corporate financial concerns. In its ruling from the business section, the court cited Article 41 of the Italian Constitution, as amended in 2022, which dictates that private economic initiative cannot develop in ways that damage health or the environment. The decision followed a hearing held on 30 September, during which deputy prosecutor general Angelo Renna also urged judges to dismiss the company's suspension request. The court noted that the scheduled Court of Cassation hearing does not constitute a new procedural factor that outweighs public health protections.

Operational shutdown timeline

The legal case originated from a collective inhibitory action initiated five years ago by the Associazione Genitori Tarantini, later supported by the family of a child diagnosed with a rare genetic mutation. In late July 2026, the court decreed that production across the plant's hot area must halt within 90 days unless all on-site asbestos is removed and particulate emissions meet safety thresholds. Plant managers confirmed that Blast Furnace 2, the sole operating furnace remaining in Taranto, will begin lowering its charge between 8 and 10 October to enter a minimal preheating regime. A complete shutdown of the hot area must be executed before the end of October, with procedural deadlines specified between 25 and 28 October, unless overturned during the supreme court hearing on 20 October.

Lawyer Ascanio Amenduni, representing Taranto residents in the civil action, praised the judicial outcome.

Health wins again over an economic prejudice judged increasingly yielding and specious.

Union concerns and employment risks

Trade unions representing industrial workers in Taranto expressed deep frustration following the court's rejection, warning that halting the furnaces threatens thousands of livelihoods. Union representatives pointed out that blast furnaces suffer permanent structural damage when extinguished, rendering any quick resumption of activity unfeasible. Because the Taranto facility functions as an integrated production cycle, halting the hot area disrupts energy generation required to run the downstream cold-rolling lines. The site supports more than 9,000 direct employees of Acciaierie d'Italia and roughly 2,500 subcontracted workers, with 3,500 local employees already placed on state-backed furlough schemes out of 4,000 group-wide.

Enzo Mercurio, a representative of the Usb union in Taranto, described the mood among the workforce.

The anger is immense, we are afraid because this is not fair. Everything is falling on the workers' shoulders again.

Ownership disputes and acquisition bids

The Taranto steelworks, formerly Europe's largest steel production complex, was placed into extraordinary administration under government control in early 2024 after the collapse of its partnership with ArcelorMittal. The Italian government, led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, has explored options to maintain state involvement while seeking private buyers to support a proposed electric and decarbonized transition. In August 2026, the board of the national steel federation Federacciai instructed its president, Antonio Gozzi, to formalize interest on behalf of a consortium of domestic companies. Several international conglomerates have also entered the bidding process, including Indian group Jindal, Czech Republic firm CE Industries, and US-based private investment firm Flacks.