Abstract
The implementation of EU environmental law is one of the most critical aspects of environmental protection in Europe. Within this framework, in April 2019 the European Commission published the second Environmental Implementation Review – EIR (the first was out in 2017) with a view to both identifying the root causes of limited enactment of EU environmental law in Member States and to proposing possible solutions. Beyond highlighting general trends, the EIR 2019 also includes country specific reports that analyze in detail how and to what extent implementation occurred in each Member State. The country report on Italy is interesting not only because it has identified the priority areas where most urgent action is needed but also because it points to some distinctive governance factors that may help to explain implementation gaps.