The Meloni government gives the green light to the draft legislative decree on agricultural aid which contains “urgent provisions for agricultural, fishing and aquaculture businesses, as well as for businesses of national strategic interest“. A tax credit is recognized within the total spending limit 130 million euros – of which 50 million euros in 2024 alone – for investments made by agricultural and fishing businesses in the Southern regions included in the SEZ areas) and social security contributions relief for agricultural workers in flooded areas.
In the provision approved by the Council of Ministers, we thus arrive at a legislative decree “extraordinarily important that looks at the world of agriculture and fishing“, says the Minister of Agriculture, Francesco Lollobrigida, in a press conference at Palazzo Chigi. The decree goes in the direction of “avoid desertification of the sector. We have had a crisis accentuated by ongoing conflicts, which have weakened our agricultural companies, despite the fact that they continue to be capable of producing excellence“. Lollobrigida then underlines that the same argument “it applies to fishing, if the average loss of fishing in Europe is 28% in Italy it reaches close to 40%“.
It also concludes that “to the wild installation of ground-mounted photovoltaic“, adds the minister. “We intervene with pragmatism, safeguarding some areas. The State considers productive agricultural land a precious asset with important benefits, but if you want to put photovoltaic panels there you are changing the intended use and we do not believe this type of practice should continue“. The decision that was taken by the executive is therefore that of “limit this ban to productive land“. For example in the “areas around quarries and mines will be able to continue to produce energy“, he reiterates. “Obviously we will go into the article of the decree to contain the rules that safeguard the Pnrr funds which we do not want to question in any way“, comments the Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry.
The Ilva case
A specific chapter is foreseen within the legislative decree which contains further urgent provisions regarding theex Ilvaapproved by the Council of Ministers on the proposal of the Minister of Business and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso. This is the third intervention since the beginning of the year which has the aim of guaranteeing the operational and employment continuity of the factories, supporting the activities of the commissioners and intervening where the previous management did not follow up on the commitments made at the time. Precisely to ensure production continuity, urgent financing of 150 million euros, through the use of funds from the so-called designated assets. The decree provides for a measure to strengthen the prevention of fire risk, which, balancing the needs of safety with those of continuity of the systems, provides for a 48-month postponement for the definitive transmission of the safety report.
Rules are introduced that support the operations of the National Fire Brigade to carry out the aforementioned functions, also through a more rapid entry into service of the professional figures essential to the coordination activities of the intervention teams. Finally, the terms of maximum duration of the program have been aligned extraordinary administrations who are tenants of company complexes of strategic interest with those envisaged for the company in extraordinary administration which are, as in the former Ilva, owners of the complex, in order to avoid misalignments and management difficulties.
Drought emergency in Sicily
The Council of Ministers has approved a national state of emergency due to the drought in Sicily – as requested in recent days by the regional council chaired by Renato Schifani – for a duration of 12 months, allocating the first 20 million euros, with the possibility of increasing resources in a short time already during the implementation of the first interventions. The President of the Region also participated in the meeting at Palazzo Chigi. The Sicilian government has already sent all the necessary documentation to Rome, drawing up a list of necessary interventions to reduce the effects of the crisis due to the lack of rain. The solutions proposed by the control room, led by the governor and coordinated by the head of the regional civil protection, are differentiated based on the implementation times.
For the next few months, however, we are considering the restructuring and the restarting the watermakers of Porto Empedocle, in the Agrigento area, and of Trapani, operations that will require longer times and tender procedures, as there are no substantial exceptions in environmental matters and procurements above the community threshold. At the same time, the regional Civil Protection department has established nine technical tables in the Civil Engineering offices of the capitals of each province, with representatives of the Water Department, the Reclamation Consortia, and the Basin Authority. The tables identified and selected the interventions according to priority and will then proceed to monitor the implementation phases.
Furthermore, several meetings have already been held with Siciliacque, Aica Agrigento, Caltacque and Acque Enna.
