Geotechnical engineering practice and the implementation of Eurocode approach in Italy

Since 2003 several efforts have been done in Italy by the Italian Government to modify Technical Standards, abandoning the conventional allowable stress approach and introducing the limit state approach, according to Eurocodes. More specifically in the paper the following aspects are discussed: a) the intrinsic incompatibility between the Eurocode approach and the Italian Legislation as far as the responsibilities of practising engineers are concerned; b) resistance of practising engineers and geologists to abandon conventional design methods together with a generalized reluctance in Italy towards continuous education programs; c) intrinsic incompatibility between EC7 (2004) and "structural" Eurocodes (more specifically EC8 (2004)). Eventually the difficulties of introducing the limit state approach in conventional education programs are discussed.