La responsabilità per danno ambientale in caso di plurime condotte dannose

The article deals with the problem of imputation of liability for environmental damage in case of multiple harmful conducts in the so-called multi-company sites, where contamination is the consequence of the activity carried out by different companies operating in the area. While there is no doubt that the general rule of Art. 2055 of the Civil Code applies to single conduct damaging the environment, the question arises in the case of multiple independent actions causing autonomous damage-consequences: despite the wording of Art. 311, paragraph 3, of the Environmental Code, a uniform interpretation is lacking. Case law and the discipline of subjectively complex obligations shows that the qualification in terms of solidarity of environmental liability is a consequence of implementation of compensation in specific form, which constitutes the typical remedial measure in this sector. In fact, the alternative between joint and partial liability is determined not only by the specific case at head, but also by the characters of the performance subject to the multi-subjective obligation. Within this framework, we address the question of whether in multi-corporate sites, in the case of a plurality of polluters, the specific form remedial obligation should (or should not) be considered indivisible and thus necessarily bear jointly and severally on all responsible parties.

Il contributo affronta il problema della imputazione della responsabilità per danno ambientale in caso di plurime condotte dannose nei siti c.d. multi-societari, nei quali la contaminazione è la conseguenza dell’attività svolta da differenti imprese che operano nell’area. Se non vi è dubbio che laddove sia configurabile un’unica condotta di danneggiamento dell’ambiente vale la regola generale dell’art. 2055 c.c., la questione si pone nelle ipotesi di plurime azioni indipendenti causative di danni-conseguenza autonomi: a livello europeo sembrerebbero non esservi dubbi sulla natura parziaria della responsabilità ambientale, mentre, sul piano nazionale, nonostante il tenore letterale dell’art. 311, comma 3, c.a., difetta una interpretazione unanime. Attraverso una analisi della giurisprudenza civile e amministrativa, nonché della disciplina in materia di obbligazioni soggettivamente complesse, si evidenzia come la qualificazione in termini di solidarietà della responsabilità ambientale è conseguenza delle modalità di attuazione del risarcimento in forma specifica, in quanto l’alternativa tra solidarietà e parziarietà è determinata non solo dalla fattispecie, ma anche dai caratteri della prestazione oggetto dell’obbligazione plurisoggettiva. In tale quadro, si affronta la questione se nei siti multi-societari, in caso di una pluralità di inquinatori, l’obbligazione rimediale in forma specifica debba o meno considerarsi indivisibile e quindi gravare necessariamente in via solidale su tutti i soggetti responsabili. The article deals with the problem of imputation of liability for environmental damage in case of multiple harmful conducts in the so-called multi-company sites, where contamination is the consequence of the activity carried out by different companies operating in the area. While there is no doubt that the general rule of Art. 2055 of the Civil Code applies to single conduct damaging the environment, the question arises in the case of multiple independent actions causing autonomous damage-consequences: despite the wording of Art. 311, paragraph 3, of the Environmental Code, a uniform interpretation is lacking. Case law and the discipline of subjectively complex obligations shows that the qualification in terms of solidarity of environmental liability is a consequence of implementation of compensation in specific form, which constitutes the typical remedial measure in this sector. In fact, the alternative between joint and partial liability is determined not only by the specific case at head, but also by the characters of the performance subject to the multi-subjective obligation. Within this framework, we address the question of whether in multi-corporate sites, in the case of a plurality of polluters, the specific form remedial obligation should (or should not) be considered indivisible and thus necessarily bear jointly and severally on all responsible parties.