Lecce prosecutors on Thursday
released 2,223 olive trees that had been marked for felling in a
bid to stop the spread of the fatal Xylella bacteria.
The trees had been seized by court order last December as
part of an investigation into 10 people including researchers,
Puglia regional officials, and former special commissioner for
the Xylella emergency, Giuseppe Silletti.
The Xylella state of emergency is over and the trees in
question are no longer at risk, prosecutors said.
The Europan Commission last Friday opened new infringement
procedures against Italy over alleged delays in implementing
measures to stop the spread of the Xylella fastidiosa bacteria
that kills trees.
A letter of formal notice was sent to the government on
grounds "it is extremely important that Italy fully enacts"
measures to stop the spread of Xylella, a Commission
spokesperson told ANSA.
This is the second infringement procedure to be opened
against Italy in relation to Xylella after the EC took issue
with its alleged failure to fulfil its obligations in the plan
to eradicate the bacteria in December 2015.
Xylella was first detected in southern Italy in 2013,
marking the first outbreak of its kind in the EU.
It reportedly caused about a million olive trees in Puglia
to die as of summer 2015.
Italy started chopping down affected olive trees in Puglia
in April last year, after the epidemic prompted France to
declare an embargo on products from the southern Italian region
at risk of infection from the deadly pathogen.
However the cull was suspended following an appeal and
legal action by environmental associations and Puglia farmers,
who said it is excessive.
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