First Regional Autonomies Conference ends in dispute over Po River flood funding
There was supposed to be a discussion about the reorganization of local autonomies, but instead, the meeting ended up with a dispute over the interventions against the Po River floods. It was a bitter debut for the Regional Conference of Autonomies, an organization composed of 67 members that convened for the first time yesterday in Milan.
It was precisely over the government allocations for hydraulic defense interventions in the North that a minor controversy arose involving the mayor of Mantova Gianfranco Burchiellaro and the president of the Lombardy Region Roberto Formigoni.
Disputes over funding and government responses
“Before moving to the second item on the agenda,” Burchiellaro recounts, “I raised the issue of extraordinary interventions for the Po, asking Formigoni what he intended to do regarding the ordinance of the Minister of the Interior on the first allocation of 150 billion euros for flood-affected areas.
“It may seem unbelievable,” the mayor emphasizes, “but Formigoni responded that there was no government measure, let alone available resources.”
At that point, Burchiellaro invited Formigoni to check the Official Gazette. “The ordinance is published,” Burchiellaro states, “and Article 1 asks the involved Regions to define an extraordinary intervention plan within 60 days, and Article 7 allocates 150 billion euros to civil protection chapters.”
Formigoni could not deny the evidence and did not respond to the request to convene a conference on the regional plan, which must be submitted within 60 days.
Reactions from the Mayor of Mantova
For the mayor of Mantova, “it is unacceptable that the hardships caused by the flood in the provinces of Pavia, Cremona, and Mantova (see pages 15 and 16, ed.) are not taken into account by the Region, and it is even more serious that the urgency of the interventions, which must be financed with the first 150 billion euros disbursed by the government, is not recognized.”
These interventions concern hydraulic defenses on embankments, which require coordination between Municipalities, Provinces, Po Magistrate, and Region.
“I believe every day of delay is a serious act of irresponsibility.”
Appointment of the president and closing remarks
During the first meeting of the conference, the appointment of the new body’s president was also made. The mayor of Inveruno, Luigi Garavaglia (Polo), was elected, a candidate opposed by the center-left, which proposed the mayor of Brescia.
“It was the only decision adopted,” Burchiellaro concluded, “because the proposal for resource allocation to local autonomies (second point) did not pass due to lack of a quorum.”
In short, the Conference opened in the worst possible way.”