Grazia Scocca | University of Salerno (original) (raw)
Papers by Grazia Scocca
n book: Mélanges en l'honneur de Florence Benoît-Rohmer-Les droits de l'homme, du Conseil de l'Europe à l'Union européenne, 2023
This article wants to offer an overview of the Council of Europe’s work addressing the interconne... more This article wants to offer an overview of the Council of Europe’s work addressing the interconnection between the protection of human rights and the environment. It will touch upon Organization’ binding treaties containing key principles for nature protection, together with the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights and the European Committee of Social Rights on the matter. The contribution will also emphasises considerations about the need to include an ecocentric orientation and an intergenerational approach in the current debate about the need to include a right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment in the Council of Europe legal framework.
La thèse se propose d’analyser la nature des relations générées entre le pouvoir des sociétés mul... more La thèse se propose d’analyser la nature des relations générées entre le pouvoir des sociétés multinationales et transnationales et les Etats, afin de rechercher l’ensemble des obligations internationales impliquées concernant les droits de l'homme et, plus spécifiquement, celles relatives au droit universel à la santé. En effet, il est de plus en plus évident que les sociétés transnationales sont en mesure de causer des risques considérables, susceptibles de provoquer des conséquences néfastes sur le droit à la santé des individus, ou bien encore, sur les « déterminants de la santé ». À la lumière de ces considérations et en constatant l’ampleur de la problématique, la thèse se focalise sur les obligations spécifiques liées aux secteurs de l’industrie pharmaceutique, des compagnies de tabac et des multinationales du secteur alimentaire. Le travail de recherche a été rédigé selon les critères académiques utilisés classiquement en Italie et est fondée sur un argumentaire articulé...
European Journal of Cancer, 2022
Financial discrimination may affect an increasing number of cancer survivors in Europe as a conse... more Financial discrimination may affect an increasing number of cancer survivors in Europe as a consequence of the improvement of cancer management. According to the latest projections, Europe counts around 20 million cancer survivors. In the few years, the issue raised the attention of the European policymakers. The goal of this study is to promote political and legal solutions taking into consideration the need to stop discrimination against cancer survivors. The article also aims to implement legal principles on patients' rights and social values at the national and European levels, emphasising EU competence on the matter. The article reviews the current legal aspects concerning the right to be forgotten (RTBF) for cancer survivors in Europe, and it analyses the EU competency for its implementation. The legislative initiatives in force in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Portugal provide concrete examples of an effective solution for former patients that should be extended throughout the EU. Under these circumstances, the European Legislator could lead on multiple initiatives to implement at the European level the RTBF, as our research has demonstrated the EU competency for these matters. A Pan-European solution based on the implementation of the RTBF is feasible within current treaties and seems the best approach to tackle the issue. The EU Action would provide a common and harmonised regulatory framework among the Member States to avoid discrimination and ensure equality among EU citizens being cured of cancer.
La these se propose d’analyser la nature des relations generees entre le pouvoir des societes mul... more La these se propose d’analyser la nature des relations generees entre le pouvoir des societes multinationales et transnationales et les Etats, afin de rechercher l’ensemble des obligations internationales impliquees concernant les droits de l'homme et, plus specifiquement, celles relatives au droit universel a la sante. En effet, il est de plus en plus evident que les societes transnationales sont en mesure de causer des risques considerables, susceptibles de provoquer des consequences nefastes sur le droit a la sante des individus, ou bien encore, sur les « determinants de la sante ». A la lumiere de ces considerations et en constatant l’ampleur de la problematique, la these se focalise sur les obligations specifiques liees aux secteurs de l’industrie pharmaceutique, des compagnies de tabac et des multinationales du secteur alimentaire. Le travail de recherche a ete redige selon les criteres academiques utilises classiquement en Italie et est fondee sur un argumentaire articule...
Journal of International Wildlife Law & Policy, 2020
Abstract Employing scientific literature on the risks linked to the loss of coral, the article hi... more Abstract Employing scientific literature on the risks linked to the loss of coral, the article highlights the importance of protecting coral reefs from a legal perspective, implementing international environmental law instruments. This study analyses the provisions of the relevant international environmental treaties to highlight the obligations addressed to national governments, in order to ensure the protection of coral reefs and the preservation of the marine ecosystem. For this purpose, the article includes a case study of the successful experience of the Belizean national legislation, supported by a model of shared governance, to promote the conservation of the marine biodiversity and its sustainable use for healthy and protected oceans.
Survivorship Care for Cancer Patients, 2021
According to the newest scientific research and data, the number of cancer survivors increases ye... more According to the newest scientific research and data, the number of cancer survivors increases yearly.
Journal of International Wildlife Law & Policy, 2020
Employing scientific literature on the risks linked to the loss of coral, the article highlights ... more Employing scientific literature on the risks linked to the loss of coral, the article highlights the importance of protecting coral reefs from a legal perspective, implementing international environmental law instruments. This study analyses the provisions of the relevant international environmental treaties to highlight the obligations addressed to national governments, in order to ensure the protection of coral reefs and the preservation of the marine ecosystem. For this purpose, the article includes a case study of the successful experience of the Belizean national legislation, supported by a model of shared governance, to promote the conservation of the marine biodiversity and its sustainable use for healthy and protected oceans.
Stefania Negri (Ed.), Environmental Health in International and European law, Giappichelli- Edward Elgar Publishing, 2019
In 2008, specific analyses carried out on the local food chain in the city of Taranto (Italy) fou... more In 2008, specific analyses carried out on the local food chain in the city of Taranto (Italy) found significant traces of dioxin. In the same period, 1200 infected head of cattle were culled and the local authorities interdicted the grazing activities in the area.
It was the beginning of an environmental and public health emergency which remains severe in the Apulia Region.
The ILVA industrial site was identified as the major responsible for the contamination of the area, principally caused by the obsolete technologies in the making process.
As reported by the enquirers, the plant generated widespread pollution in the surrounding area, seriously affecting workers as well as the local population. As a matter of fact, several studies attested an excess of mortality among the ILVA workers due to cancers and other diseases, along with a relationship between the environmental contamination and the health issues emerged in the resident population.
Since 2002, several criminal procedures were opened against the company administration for such offences as ecological disaster, poisoning of food substances, omission of prevention of accidents at the workplace, degradation of public goods, emission of pollutants and atmospheric pollution. In 2012 the Office of the Prosecutor in Taranto ordered new investigations leading to further judicial proceedings – still pending – and the plant passed under State control through special commissioners.
The ILVA case was also the object of judicial proceedings before the European Court of Human Rights and the Court of Justice of the European Union.
Against this background, this paper aims to critically examine the ILVA case, especially taking into account the interdependence between the right to health and the environment, and to suggest that in this case there is a shared responsibility between the Italian State and the plant, in line with the ongoing debate on business and human rights protection.
World Water Policy Journal, 2019
The UN World Health Organization reports that 80% of diseases are waterborne. Bacterial, viral, a... more The UN World Health Organization reports that 80% of diseases are waterborne. Bacterial, viral, and parasitic diseases like typhoid, cholera, amebiasis, poliomyelitis, hepatitis A, skin infection, and gastrointestinal are spread through polluted water. In 2013, the UN Water defined water security as “The capacity of a population to safeguard sustainable access to adequate quantities of acceptable quality water for sustaining livelihoods, human well‐being, and socio‐economic development, for ensuring protection against water‐borne pollution and water‐related disasters, and for preserving ecosystems in a climate of peace and political stability”. The notion is quite new, but it does not mean that international law does not include rules and principles relevant to water security. Compared to some other regions in the world, most people living in Europe already enjoy very good access to high‐quality drinking water, in part thanks to over 30 years of European Union legislation for ensuring drinking water quality. On February 2018, pressed by the successful result of the first European Citizens' Initiative “Right2Water,” the European Commission proposed to revise the European Union legislation for improving access to higher quality of drinking water and provide better information to citizens. Considering the latest scientific knowledge and recommendations of the World Health Organization, the proposal made by the Commission suggests improving water quality by adding new and emerging substances (such as legionella and chlorate) to the list of criteria for determining water safety. The new provisions require the member states to improve access for all people, especially for vulnerable and marginalized groups who currently have difficult access to drinking water, set up equipment for access to drinking water in public spaces, launch campaigns to inform citizens about the quality of their water, and encourage administrations and public buildings to provide access to drinking water. According to the European Union Commission, the new measures would reduce potential health risks associated with drinking water from 4% to below 1%. Based on the presumption that the right to safe water, and the related concept of water security, emerges as a prerequisite for the realization of other human rights, the purpose of this paper is to analyze the approach conducted by the European Commission and, compared it with a fragmented panorama in the International regulation. In this sense, it will be necessary to refer to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes, its Protocol on Water and Health, the General Comment No. 15 of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights on the right to water, and the World Health Organization’s Water safety plan to identify and manage the risks that climate change poses to water security (quality and quantity) in the framework of international law obligations. Finally, in order to consider future scenarios and promote possible implementation, the new European Union approach is fully consistent with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In particular, the initiatives will make a meaningful contribution to reaching the Sustainable Development Goal 6 to “achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all,” along with the Paris Agreement objectives on climate change, thanks to safer, more efficient, and sustainable management of drinking water, reducing the CO2 footprint and unnecessary water loss.
n book: Mélanges en l'honneur de Florence Benoît-Rohmer-Les droits de l'homme, du Conseil de l'Europe à l'Union européenne, 2023
This article wants to offer an overview of the Council of Europe’s work addressing the interconne... more This article wants to offer an overview of the Council of Europe’s work addressing the interconnection between the protection of human rights and the environment. It will touch upon Organization’ binding treaties containing key principles for nature protection, together with the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights and the European Committee of Social Rights on the matter. The contribution will also emphasises considerations about the need to include an ecocentric orientation and an intergenerational approach in the current debate about the need to include a right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment in the Council of Europe legal framework.
La thèse se propose d’analyser la nature des relations générées entre le pouvoir des sociétés mul... more La thèse se propose d’analyser la nature des relations générées entre le pouvoir des sociétés multinationales et transnationales et les Etats, afin de rechercher l’ensemble des obligations internationales impliquées concernant les droits de l'homme et, plus spécifiquement, celles relatives au droit universel à la santé. En effet, il est de plus en plus évident que les sociétés transnationales sont en mesure de causer des risques considérables, susceptibles de provoquer des conséquences néfastes sur le droit à la santé des individus, ou bien encore, sur les « déterminants de la santé ». À la lumière de ces considérations et en constatant l’ampleur de la problématique, la thèse se focalise sur les obligations spécifiques liées aux secteurs de l’industrie pharmaceutique, des compagnies de tabac et des multinationales du secteur alimentaire. Le travail de recherche a été rédigé selon les critères académiques utilisés classiquement en Italie et est fondée sur un argumentaire articulé...
European Journal of Cancer, 2022
Financial discrimination may affect an increasing number of cancer survivors in Europe as a conse... more Financial discrimination may affect an increasing number of cancer survivors in Europe as a consequence of the improvement of cancer management. According to the latest projections, Europe counts around 20 million cancer survivors. In the few years, the issue raised the attention of the European policymakers. The goal of this study is to promote political and legal solutions taking into consideration the need to stop discrimination against cancer survivors. The article also aims to implement legal principles on patients' rights and social values at the national and European levels, emphasising EU competence on the matter. The article reviews the current legal aspects concerning the right to be forgotten (RTBF) for cancer survivors in Europe, and it analyses the EU competency for its implementation. The legislative initiatives in force in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Portugal provide concrete examples of an effective solution for former patients that should be extended throughout the EU. Under these circumstances, the European Legislator could lead on multiple initiatives to implement at the European level the RTBF, as our research has demonstrated the EU competency for these matters. A Pan-European solution based on the implementation of the RTBF is feasible within current treaties and seems the best approach to tackle the issue. The EU Action would provide a common and harmonised regulatory framework among the Member States to avoid discrimination and ensure equality among EU citizens being cured of cancer.
La these se propose d’analyser la nature des relations generees entre le pouvoir des societes mul... more La these se propose d’analyser la nature des relations generees entre le pouvoir des societes multinationales et transnationales et les Etats, afin de rechercher l’ensemble des obligations internationales impliquees concernant les droits de l'homme et, plus specifiquement, celles relatives au droit universel a la sante. En effet, il est de plus en plus evident que les societes transnationales sont en mesure de causer des risques considerables, susceptibles de provoquer des consequences nefastes sur le droit a la sante des individus, ou bien encore, sur les « determinants de la sante ». A la lumiere de ces considerations et en constatant l’ampleur de la problematique, la these se focalise sur les obligations specifiques liees aux secteurs de l’industrie pharmaceutique, des compagnies de tabac et des multinationales du secteur alimentaire. Le travail de recherche a ete redige selon les criteres academiques utilises classiquement en Italie et est fondee sur un argumentaire articule...
Journal of International Wildlife Law & Policy, 2020
Abstract Employing scientific literature on the risks linked to the loss of coral, the article hi... more Abstract Employing scientific literature on the risks linked to the loss of coral, the article highlights the importance of protecting coral reefs from a legal perspective, implementing international environmental law instruments. This study analyses the provisions of the relevant international environmental treaties to highlight the obligations addressed to national governments, in order to ensure the protection of coral reefs and the preservation of the marine ecosystem. For this purpose, the article includes a case study of the successful experience of the Belizean national legislation, supported by a model of shared governance, to promote the conservation of the marine biodiversity and its sustainable use for healthy and protected oceans.
Survivorship Care for Cancer Patients, 2021
According to the newest scientific research and data, the number of cancer survivors increases ye... more According to the newest scientific research and data, the number of cancer survivors increases yearly.
Journal of International Wildlife Law & Policy, 2020
Employing scientific literature on the risks linked to the loss of coral, the article highlights ... more Employing scientific literature on the risks linked to the loss of coral, the article highlights the importance of protecting coral reefs from a legal perspective, implementing international environmental law instruments. This study analyses the provisions of the relevant international environmental treaties to highlight the obligations addressed to national governments, in order to ensure the protection of coral reefs and the preservation of the marine ecosystem. For this purpose, the article includes a case study of the successful experience of the Belizean national legislation, supported by a model of shared governance, to promote the conservation of the marine biodiversity and its sustainable use for healthy and protected oceans.
Stefania Negri (Ed.), Environmental Health in International and European law, Giappichelli- Edward Elgar Publishing, 2019
In 2008, specific analyses carried out on the local food chain in the city of Taranto (Italy) fou... more In 2008, specific analyses carried out on the local food chain in the city of Taranto (Italy) found significant traces of dioxin. In the same period, 1200 infected head of cattle were culled and the local authorities interdicted the grazing activities in the area.
It was the beginning of an environmental and public health emergency which remains severe in the Apulia Region.
The ILVA industrial site was identified as the major responsible for the contamination of the area, principally caused by the obsolete technologies in the making process.
As reported by the enquirers, the plant generated widespread pollution in the surrounding area, seriously affecting workers as well as the local population. As a matter of fact, several studies attested an excess of mortality among the ILVA workers due to cancers and other diseases, along with a relationship between the environmental contamination and the health issues emerged in the resident population.
Since 2002, several criminal procedures were opened against the company administration for such offences as ecological disaster, poisoning of food substances, omission of prevention of accidents at the workplace, degradation of public goods, emission of pollutants and atmospheric pollution. In 2012 the Office of the Prosecutor in Taranto ordered new investigations leading to further judicial proceedings – still pending – and the plant passed under State control through special commissioners.
The ILVA case was also the object of judicial proceedings before the European Court of Human Rights and the Court of Justice of the European Union.
Against this background, this paper aims to critically examine the ILVA case, especially taking into account the interdependence between the right to health and the environment, and to suggest that in this case there is a shared responsibility between the Italian State and the plant, in line with the ongoing debate on business and human rights protection.
World Water Policy Journal, 2019
The UN World Health Organization reports that 80% of diseases are waterborne. Bacterial, viral, a... more The UN World Health Organization reports that 80% of diseases are waterborne. Bacterial, viral, and parasitic diseases like typhoid, cholera, amebiasis, poliomyelitis, hepatitis A, skin infection, and gastrointestinal are spread through polluted water. In 2013, the UN Water defined water security as “The capacity of a population to safeguard sustainable access to adequate quantities of acceptable quality water for sustaining livelihoods, human well‐being, and socio‐economic development, for ensuring protection against water‐borne pollution and water‐related disasters, and for preserving ecosystems in a climate of peace and political stability”. The notion is quite new, but it does not mean that international law does not include rules and principles relevant to water security. Compared to some other regions in the world, most people living in Europe already enjoy very good access to high‐quality drinking water, in part thanks to over 30 years of European Union legislation for ensuring drinking water quality. On February 2018, pressed by the successful result of the first European Citizens' Initiative “Right2Water,” the European Commission proposed to revise the European Union legislation for improving access to higher quality of drinking water and provide better information to citizens. Considering the latest scientific knowledge and recommendations of the World Health Organization, the proposal made by the Commission suggests improving water quality by adding new and emerging substances (such as legionella and chlorate) to the list of criteria for determining water safety. The new provisions require the member states to improve access for all people, especially for vulnerable and marginalized groups who currently have difficult access to drinking water, set up equipment for access to drinking water in public spaces, launch campaigns to inform citizens about the quality of their water, and encourage administrations and public buildings to provide access to drinking water. According to the European Union Commission, the new measures would reduce potential health risks associated with drinking water from 4% to below 1%. Based on the presumption that the right to safe water, and the related concept of water security, emerges as a prerequisite for the realization of other human rights, the purpose of this paper is to analyze the approach conducted by the European Commission and, compared it with a fragmented panorama in the International regulation. In this sense, it will be necessary to refer to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes, its Protocol on Water and Health, the General Comment No. 15 of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights on the right to water, and the World Health Organization’s Water safety plan to identify and manage the risks that climate change poses to water security (quality and quantity) in the framework of international law obligations. Finally, in order to consider future scenarios and promote possible implementation, the new European Union approach is fully consistent with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In particular, the initiatives will make a meaningful contribution to reaching the Sustainable Development Goal 6 to “achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all,” along with the Paris Agreement objectives on climate change, thanks to safer, more efficient, and sustainable management of drinking water, reducing the CO2 footprint and unnecessary water loss.