Italy commits to set up a Natural Capital Committee (NCC) at the Ministry of Environment. The commitment is by decree of the President of the Council of Ministers and was proposed by the Minister of Environment. The commitment aims to produce pre-evaluations and post-evaluations of the effects of public policies on natural capital and ecosystems services.
The commitment falls under focus area 1 of the Batumi Initiative to improve measurement and valuation of natural capital.
Italy commits to setting up a national voluntary scheme through national regulation, with the aim of increasing the competitiveness of Italian eco-products on national and international markets. Such a scheme aims at promoting sustainable patterns of production and consumption; fostering eco-competitiveness of Italian small and medium enterprises; improving the environmental performance of products; reducing environmental impacts generated during their life cycle; enhancing citizens’ awareness; promoting sustainable consumption; and ensuring transparency and comparability of environmental performance of products. The draft regulation applies to products made entirely in Italy, or for which the drawing, design, processing and packaging are made exclusively on the Italian territory, as required by Italian national law.
The commitment falls under focus area 4 of the Batumi Initiative to shift consumer behaviours towards sustainable consumption patterns.
The commitment is relevant to SDG 12.
Italy commits to the preparation of a catalogue of environmentally harmful subsidies and environmentally favourable subsidies. The document to support the implementation of this commitment derived from the European Commission Communication “Europe 2020 - A strategy for smart sustainable and inclusive growth”; the “European semester” recommendations of the European Parliament and Council; and the OECD 2013 Environmental Performance Review of Italy. Subsidies are intended as part of the commitment and include, among others: tax expenditures; incentives; benefits; subsidised loans; and tax exemptions with an impact on the environment. The commitment falls under focus area 2 to promote the internalisation of negative externalities and sustainable use of natural capital. The commitment intends to phase out environmentally harmful subsidies and restructure environmental favourable subsidies.
The commitment falls under focus area 2 of the Batumi Initiative to promote the internalisation of negative externalities and the sustainable use of natural capital.
Italy commits to improve and promote the Minimum Environmental Criteria (MEC) in public procurement for supplies of products, services and works. Italy commits to applying MEC to 100% of the tender value for the purchase of goods and services related to energy consumption and for at least 50% for other procurements. MEC’s, adopted by Ministerial Decree, gives general guidelines to institutions for a rationalisation of purchases and provides them with "environmental considerations" linked to the different phases of procurement. From 2011, MEC was implemented for the following goods and services: furniture (for offices, schools, reading rooms); construction (construction and renovation of buildings); urban waste management (management of public green); energy services (lighting, heating and cooling of buildings, public lighting and illuminated signs); electronic (electrical and electronic office equipment and related supplies, telecommunications equipment); textiles and footwear; catering (canteen service and food supplies); cleaning services. With this commitment, Italy aims to increase circular waste management, resource and energy efficiency.