Page 103 - Supplemento 2-2016 (ENG)

Tackling Environmental Crime throUgh standardized Methodologies

doesn’t hide his opinion, I spoke both to the Chief of the Forestry Department
and to the Commander of the Carabinieri Corps, and made clear my support
to the plan providing for the merger of the Forestry Department with the
Local Police Forces. This implied an expansion but it would allow them to
remain as a large Environmental Police Force.

Unfortunately the choice of the Government is different but, even with diffe-
rent views and whatever arrangement will come out, it is important that the organi-
sation gives value to any resource, competence, and skills so far acquired. Of course
without ignoring the fact that in the Carabinieri Corps there is a traditional care for
the environment and a constant will to improve their skills. I can say this with full
awareness and based on my professional experience as Minister of Agriculture when
I had contacts with NOE (Ecologic Operative Unit within Carabinieri Corps) and
with NAS (Anti-adulteration and Health Unit within the Carabinieri Corps). I also
had the chance to appreciate the work of the “Nucleo dei Carabinieri al Ministero
dell’Agricoltura (Carabinieri Unit within the Ministry of Agriculture) to whom I
changed the long and difficult name making it just NAC (Anti-fraud Unit).

It is clear that the this topic still remains complicated since the Forestry
Department’s personnel is managed according to rules applicable to civilians
(even more than the State Police Officers who, unlike the Forestry Department
Officers, cannot go on strike) but will be transferred into a context based on
military discipline. I believe it is particularly important to be able to handle
these inevitable difficulties. Bearing in mind that for everybody there must be
only one aim: enhance to capability to tackle crimes against the environment
and the ability to safeguard our Country. In recent years such ability has impro-
ved with acknowledgement both at European and at international level.

In the course of my engagements as minister I saw improvement in the
activities of the State Forestry Department and, even today, I keep on dealing
with those things in which I believe, regardless of my role, in my university tea-
ching and dealing with the UNIVERDE Foundation. Obviously as a citizen, as
an activist and as a person who believes in all this, I make sure that we all work
in the direction of some improvement.

I’m confident that, regardless of the starting points, once the final decision
has been reached, we have to make sure that in this Country the ability to have the

101