Climate The allocation of 4.5 billion euros promised by the government has been postponed again. According to Commissioner Figliolo, there is a lack of financial coverage
Cesena, flood of May 2023 – LaPresse
The Meloni government continues to postpone the allocation of the 4.5 billion euros promised to Emilia-Romagna for post-flood reconstruction. Yet another postponement was announced on Monday, during a meeting between the commissioner structure, the ministries, the region and the municipalities which had been convened for the definitive approval of the special plan for reconstruction. Instead, surprisingly, Commissioner Francesco Figliuolo announced the postponement because there would be a lack of financial coverage from the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
The commitment of 4.5 billion was defined following the widespread flooding of 16 and 17 May 2023, when very intense rain caused the flooding of 21 rivers, 17 deaths and more than 20 thousand displaced people in 37 municipalities. After that event, two other serious floods occurred in Emilia-Romagna, the last one on 19 and 20 October. The territory is increasingly fragile and compromised, and the region awaits approval of the plan and economic support to begin reconstruction and adaptation works. But the government continues to retreat.
With regional elections scheduled for 17 and 18 November, the climate is extremely tense. Several times the representatives of the executive, with Minister Musumeci and Deputy Minister Bignami at the head, have accused the Emilia-Romagna region of inefficiency; while local administrators – including centre-right ones, such as the mayor of Brisighella Massimiliano Pederzoli – report that not a cent has yet been allocated. Another criticism concerns the government’s decision to centralize the commissioner structure in Rome rather than in the territory, thus accentuating the bureaucratic delays.
For now, the only money that has arrived has concerned the extremely urgent works immediately after the flood, while nothing has yet been seen for structural interventions. In Emilia-Romagna, profound reorganizations of urban settlements and rivers are necessary: this territory is in fact suffering more than others from the consequences of the extreme events caused by the climate crisis, aggravated by the excessive overbuilding favored by the policies of recent decades.
The mayor of Faenza Massimo Isola spoke of “general dismay” at the postponement. «But wasn’t it always said that “the money is there”?», asked the mayor of the city most affected by the floods of the last 18 months.
Attempting mediation, the Emilia-Romagna region has asked that at least 877 million be allocated for the most urgent works.
“No one expects to immediately have the 4.5 billion euros foreseen by the plan available, because we are talking about a lot of structural works that will take several years to complete”, said the acting regional president Irene Priolo. But «on the contrary, one cannot even think that the next budget law will not include anything for 2025 and 2026, because there is an absolute urgency to start. This is why we have put forward a proposal: approve the plan and at the same time start a first phase of interventions which includes the most urgent works. This first installment would require approximately 877 million in the three-year period 2025-2027, an important but reasonable figure to start the decisive interventions”.
But from the government, for now, the silence continues.
