APCOM

The European centre for biomedical and advanced research 'Cerba', promoted by oncologist and senator Umberto Veronesi but contested by ecologists, has obtained the second important consensus in the last few months and its realisation might take place within four years. The citadel of science has passed the 'evaluation of environmental impact' carried out by the Lombardia regional committee. This is a key exam that Cerba itself has demanded.

In November 2007, the Province too gave its agreement by selecting the projects among those involving the urban belt of the 'Parco Agricolo Sud Milano', the regional park that wraps the city's southern part. The plan should take up 620,000 square metres, half of which of public park. Thanks to the regional support, the Cerba foundation now hopes to sign the program's deal with the all its interlocutors (Region, Province, city council and Parco Sud) by the end of May. The construction works might start in January 2009 and finish in 2012.

"We'll act as pacesetters for Expo" Veronesi remarked. "I'm sure that Cerba will help Milano to become a global magnet and a unique crossroads for Europe". The last assessment is an other environmental evaluation, this time to be executed by the Province. Surprises aside, the positive outcome seems predictable, so the latest protests of ecologist associations Wwf and Legambiente and by Associazione Parco Sud, which fear an extortionate impact on the park, shouldn't have any effect.