A regional administrative court in Lazio has annulled the environmental approval granted for the proposed Fiumicino-Isola Sacra tourist and cruise port near Rome, dealing a setback to the EUR 600 million infrastructure project associated with the Royal Caribbean Group. The ruling, issued on July 3rd, revoked the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) decree previously granted by Italy's Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security.
The court concluded that the development had been incorrectly classified as a tourist marina despite incorporating a substantial cruise terminal with a dedicated berth and an anticipated annual throughput of ~1.3 million passengers. It also found that the Municipality of Fiumicino had acted as the project's proponent during the environmental assessment process, although it lacked the legal authority to do so.
Fiumicino Waterfront, the company responsible for the development, indicated that it intends to challenge the ruling through the appropriate legal channels within the prescribed timeframe.