From the State-Regions Geological Coordination Committee to the Italian Geological Surveys Network (RISG)
The Geological Coordination Committee between State and Regions, a structure linking the structures that deal with geology at national and regional level, promotes the realization of geological and geothematic cartography and represents the basis for the realization of the Italian Geological Surveys Network (RISG).
Through a specific regulatory tool that will allow its formal establishment, the Italian Geological Surveys Network (RISG) will become the coordination network between ISPRA, the Geological Survey of Italy and the technical structures of Regions, Autonomous Provinces and ARPA that deal with geology at regional and local level.
The tasks of RISG will be:
- To carry out strategic and operational activities on all geological disciplines where Regions and Autonomous Provinces are competent;
- Extend the activities undertaken by some Regions at a national level, aiming to optimize and rationalize resources;
- Promote greater homogenization of subjects and skills that deal with geology at regional and local level.
Legal contest
Subjects and skills of the structures that deal with geological subjects at the regional level are characterized by a considerable heterogeneity in the national panorama. In most cases, structures having geological competences at regional level belong directly to the Regions (in some cases constituted as real Regional Geological Surveys), in a few other cases these competences are in Regional Environmental Agencies (ARPA).
In the past, the activities of coordination on national scale were mainly carried out through the Geological Coordination Committee between State and Regions and Autonomous Provinces (established by the Ministerial Decree of 4 May 2001) which operated actively until 2009; the Committee has dealt mainly with subjects concerning the CARG Project and is still in force. The duties of this Committee have been identified by the same decree in art. 2.
In 2017, as part of the National Table of Operational Geology Surveys, ISPRA proposed to the Regions and Autonomous Provinces the establishment of a new Network that would extend its tasks to all areas of competence. With the aim of achieving it, in March 2018 ISPRA re-convened the State-Regions Coordination Committee and in October 2018, after a shared path between ISPRA, Regions and Autonomous Provinces, the Committee approved the new internal regulation which introduced the new Network and defined its objectives, areas of competence and above all a new organizational structure.
Currently, the regulatory process necessary for the formal establishment of RISG is awaited.
Organizational structure
The organizational structure of the Committee has been modified with the adoption of a new regulation which estabilished:
- Board of Directors: chaired by the Director of the Department for the Geological Survey of Italy (ISPRA) and composed of representatives with legal mandate of the structures having geological ecompetences at regional or provincial level;
- Thematic Tables: composed of experts appointed by the Department of Geological Survey of Italy (ISPRA) and by regional or provincial geological structures;
- Technical Secretariat: established at ISPRA, it has an organizational function and is a link between the Board of Directors and the Thematic Tables.
For further details on the tasks and operating procedures, refer to the regulation.
