An outdoor area is forever. Or at least it risks being. In fact, the Meloni Government would like to include in the draft law on competition a provision to make public land concessions structural for outdoor tables and dehorsmaking the norm that exception granted during Covid, when staying inside the premises could have posed a serious health risk, and then arrived from extension to extension until now.
In many centres, from Florence to Bolgheri, the issue of the tables had turned into a real assault which had made squares and streets no longer but less livable, but for the business minister Adolfo Urso “they are also an element of urban decoration”. Between the skepticism of the candidates in the race for Palazzo Vecchio and the irritation of the association of Municipalities, few, however, support the feasibility of the project.
The Cna is enthusiastic, Bettarini does not want impositions
Cna Firenze, enthusiastic of the proposal, asks that the law “be written with responsibility, respect for residents and involving trade associations”. The Florence Commerce councilor is not as benevolent, Giovanni Bettarini: «The League once talked about decentralization and now they also want to decide where to put the tables? Each administration must be able to decide based on its own needs, without impositions.” Bettarini recalls the leitmotif of the Tuscan administrators: each of the Municipalities must be able to intervene with its own tools, because each city center has its own characteristics.
«A mayor is speaking to you who has liberalized everything since Covid, without ever going back», explains the outgoing first citizen of Prato, Matteo Biffoni. Who is also president of Anci Toscana: «I think that those who invest in the center and outside must have the possibility of not paying for public land, as happens here. But he makes me extremely perplexed let the government impose it. Here the mayors must decide on a case-by-case basis, it is a game that cannot be done without Municipalities – concludes Biffoni – Anci must participate in the drafting of the law”.
How the rules have changed
We are talking about the “permanent extension of the exemption”: a hat-trick of words that seems to be the emblem of Italianness. The exemption is that on the rules of public space, introduced in 2020 in the midst of the Covid emergency to provide relief to commercial activities already affected by the lockdowns. Year after year, this has been renewed and now the Meloni government would like to make it permanent.
Eike Schmidt’s doubts
«The term dehor, in its original meaning, which comes from the Piedmontese culture of French influence, indicates a light and non-permanent concept», the candidate of the Florentine centre-right points out, expressing his doubts, Eike Schmidt. «What is certain is that since then – he continues – the uses and needs have changed and we should also find different terms to identify them. The UNESCO area is protected by precise regulations, but the terms of the proposed law are not yet clear and we reserve the right to evaluate the merits.”
Funaro: «The logic of extensions offers no prospects»
Not a failure, but a perplexity. His main opponent, Sara Funaro (Pd), refers to the words of councilor Bettarini. While Cecilia Del Re, candidate for democratic Florence, attacks: «When I was councilor for economic development I said that the new plan for the occupation of public land for dehors had to be approved 2 years in advance of the expiry of the concessions to give the operators the opportunity to adapt to future requirements. The outgoing administration, however, did not approve any new plan, but extended the existing one; just as the public area retail plan for the historic center has remained at a standstill. You cannot govern with the fear of displeasing someone, the logic of the extensions gives no prospects to anyone, neither to the operators nor to Florence”.
