A letter with specific requests
A letter containing a request for clarification on the definition of "wetland" with regard to the ban on the use of lead ammunition referred to in Regulation (EU) 2021/57 of 25 January 2021 was sent to the President of the European Commission Ursula Von Der Lyen and to Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius. The initiative, promoted by the MEP Pietro Fiocchi and supported by Italian and foreign deputies, expressly requests the urgent issue, by 15/02/2023 - date on which the Regulation will definitively enter into force also in Italy - of a document of orientation and clarification on the critical aspects outlined.
Ramsar Convention
In fact, critical issues, contradictions and interpretative difficulties have been reaffirmed, not only attributable to the definition of wetland extrapolated from the Ramsar convention which, on the limitation of the use of lead, lacks criteria that allow a clear and unequivocal interpretation of the same. Even the prohibition of possession of lead cartridges within wetlands and within a radius of 100 meters from them equates the mere possession of said ammunition to shooting, just as the disciplinary profiles are questioned in accordance with the principle of legality and certainty.
The signatories of the letter
“We have reminded the EC that the principle of legal certainty implies that Union law must be clear and its application foreseeable for the addressees; furthermore, we believe that the authoritative interpretation of EU law should not primarily be provided by the European Court of Justice, but should be expressed by the same body that issued the Regulation, i.e. the Commission itself. Making the consequences of unclear and uninterpretable rules burden European citizens is a bad example of the good administration the EU should instead adopt” declares the Hon. Massimo Casanova, signatory of the letter together with colleagues from the carroccio Marco Campomenosi, Matteo Gazzini and Rosanna Conte.