Priority criteria for intervention The Regional Plans for the Remediation of Polluted Areas (PRB) must establish “the order of priority for interventions, based on a risk evaluation criterion formulated by the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA)” in accordance with Article 199 – paragraph 6, letter a) of Legislative Decree 152/06. According to the priority order established by the PRBs, the competent Administration carries out ex officio the procedures and interventions referred to in Article 242 of Legislative Decree 152/06, as indicated in Article 250 of the same decree. Since 2019, ISPRA has initiated the mandated activities, starting with the identification of criteria at both national and European levels, leading to the initial establishment of national priority criteria for application to potentially contaminated sites. This proposal underwent evaluation and was endorsed by the Technical Table, formed in 2021 (phase 1 of the activities) by 8 Regions and their supporting Regional Environmental Protection Agencies (ARPAs), who committed to participating in the initiative. In phase 1, a preliminary proposal for intervention priority criteria applicable to contaminated sites was also delineated. An extensive description of the phase 1 activities is documented in the ISPRA Report 365/2022. To "validate" the proposed criteria for the application to potentially contaminated sites, while considering specific regional characteristics, phase 2 of the activities is underway, initiated at the end of 2022. This phase led to the involvement of additional Regions/Public Administrations and their supporting ARPAs, totaling 31 Authorities. The initial procedural steps carried out so far have led to the development of the ROCKS (Risk Ordering for Contamination Key Sites) application software by ISPRA, enabling data input and calculation of the Relative Risk Index for the sites under evaluation, as illustrated in the ISPRA Report 392/2023. With the December 2023 update of the Technical Table, now including the Government’s Extraordinary Commissioner for the 2025 Catholic Church Jubilee, a smaller working group was created, joined by eight Administrations. This group aims to test the practicability and adaptability of the proposed Priority Criteria, beginning with the methodology’s application to selected site lists from each territorial area. Following the trial phase, the final national criteria for application to potentially contaminated sites will be identified. These, along with the ROCKS application software (‘base’ version) will be made accessible to all Authorities, facilitating the determination of the priority order in accordance with Article 199, paragraph 6, letter a) of Legislative Decree 152/06. The ROCKS software is freely downloadable from the ISPRA portal (see next section). Related documents Criteri di valutazione del rischio per l’individuazione dell’ordine di priorità degli interventi. Fase 1 (ISPRA Report 365/2023). Strumenti per la sperimentazione dei criteri nazionali di priorità d’intervento nei siti potenzialmente contaminati (ISPRA Report 392/2023) Update: June 2024 https://www.isprambiente.gov.it/en/activities/soil-and-territory/contaminated-sites/priority-criteria-for-intervention https://www.isprambiente.gov.it/logo.png

Priority criteria for intervention

The Regional Plans for the Remediation of Polluted Areas (PRB) must establish “the order of priority for interventions, based on a risk evaluation criterion formulated by the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA)” in accordance with Article 199 – paragraph 6, letter a) of Legislative Decree 152/06. According to the priority order established by the PRBs, the competent Administration carries out ex officio the procedures and interventions referred to in Article 242 of Legislative Decree 152/06, as indicated in Article 250 of the same decree.

Since 2019, ISPRA has initiated the mandated activities, starting with the identification of criteria at both national and European levels, leading to the initial establishment of national priority criteria for application to potentially contaminated sites. This proposal underwent evaluation and was endorsed by the Technical Table, formed in 2021 (phase 1 of the activities) by 8 Regions and their supporting Regional Environmental Protection Agencies (ARPAs), who committed to participating in the initiative.

In phase 1, a preliminary proposal for intervention priority criteria applicable to contaminated sites was also delineated.

An extensive description of the phase 1 activities is documented in the ISPRA Report 365/2022.

To "validate" the proposed criteria for the application to potentially contaminated sites, while considering specific regional characteristics, phase 2 of the activities is underway, initiated at the end of 2022. This phase led to the involvement of additional Regions/Public Administrations and their supporting ARPAs, totaling 31 Authorities.

The initial procedural steps carried out so far have led to the development of the ROCKS (Risk Ordering for Contamination Key Sites) application software by ISPRA, enabling data input and calculation of the Relative Risk Index for the sites under evaluation, as illustrated in the ISPRA Report 392/2023.

With the December 2023 update of the Technical Table, now including the Government’s Extraordinary Commissioner for the 2025 Catholic Church Jubilee, a smaller working group was created, joined by eight Administrations. This group aims to test the practicability and adaptability of the proposed Priority Criteria, beginning with the methodology’s application to selected site lists from each territorial area.

Following the trial phase, the final national criteria for application to potentially contaminated sites will be identified. These, along with the ROCKS application software (‘base’ version) will be made accessible to all Authorities, facilitating the determination of the priority order in accordance with Article 199, paragraph 6, letter a) of Legislative Decree 152/06.

The ROCKS software is freely downloadable from the ISPRA portal (see next section).

Related documents

Criteri di valutazione del rischio per l’individuazione dell’ordine di priorità degli interventi. Fase 1 (ISPRA Report 365/2023).
Strumenti per la sperimentazione dei criteri nazionali di priorità d’intervento nei siti potenzialmente contaminati (ISPRA Report 392/2023)

Update: June 2024