Garda Community Restructures Into Consortium Amid Member Departures
A clear and impactful managerial role for the Community of Garda in the upcoming future. This is the goal of the “institutional” project put in motion by the new Board of Directors, a plan already underway with the revision of the Statute by a dedicated interprovincial Commission. The aim is to transform the Community of Garda from a voluntary association of local authorities into a Consortium, for a more authoritative legal recognition, to mark a turning point and make the community itself a concrete reference point on global issues for the local lake communities, administratively divided into four provinces. This was announced by President Giuseppe Mongiello, in office since December 2000, who is now dealing with the first defection.
The Decision of Malcesine
The Malcesine City Council has indeed decided to leave the Community of Garda. “It saddens me a bit,” says Mongiello, “because the decision came suddenly, but I can imagine that such a decisive and unequivocal choice has justifications behind it. After all, it’s not the first time something like this has happened.” In previous years, the Municipalities of Peschiera, Lazise, Garda, Castelnuovo del Garda, Gargnano, the Province of Mantova, and the Chamber of Commerce of Verona withdrew from the Community.
“Back then, it was said that the causes were determined by political contingencies,” continues Mongiello, “in some cases influenced by personalist attitudes. In any case, the phenomenon signals how fragile and precarious the structure of the Community is, revealing the outdated nature of the organization’s legal setup, which, when it was established, was seen and intended as a necessary tool for coordinated action.” For the Community President, the original spirit that fostered a shared and united will to defend the “water” resource has been lost, which also led to the creation of a proper sanitation system.”
Current and Future Challenges
“Today,” Mongiello continues, “many conditions and legislative situations have changed, and new, no less important, issues are brought to our attention. If the Municipalities remain absent, insensible, or isolated, they could face disappointing consequences.” Professor Mongiello recalls key themes such as the management of state-owned, port, and extra-port areas (transferred from the Region to the Municipalities), navigation, water safety, beach areas, tourist promotion, enhancement of Benaco’s cultural identity, management and coordination of major national and international events, environmental and urban planning protection, lake water levels, and transportation infrastructure.”
“These are vital issues for which the Community can offer valuable support to all administrative entities of the lake, provided that these Municipalities recognize it as more authoritative. Expecting that the Community, after paying the membership fee, will simply serve as a source of contributions for their events demonstrates a misunderstanding of its role,”** concludes Mongiello.
