CROTONE The Ministry of the Environment reopens the doors to the construction of the mega landfill proposed by the entrepreneur Guglielmo Maio in the locality Giammiglione, just outside Crotone. The project presented by Maio more than 20 years ago involved the construction of a plant with a capacity of almost five million tons to dispose of toxic and dangerous waste and municipal solid waste. Maio’s project, which has long since acquired land from the Pythagorean Church, proposes a mega landfill with two production lines. For years the entrepreneur’s attempts had crashed into the protection barrier created by the Calabria Region, the Municipality and the Province of Crotone. To date, Maio had not succeeded in his aim despite various legal proceedings. Appeals filed at all levels. Now an unexpected breach opens. It cannot be ruled out that the little hand of Eni Rewind may have pushed in the direction of the Abruzzo entrepreneur. It is known to everyone that Eni Rewind wants to leave the poisons in Crotone and is doing everything to achieve this aim. The Giammiglione landfill project restarts because it is mentioned in the convocation of the decision-making Services Conference of the Ministry of the Environment. The decision-making conference, yet another on the Crotone reclamation issue, has been called for next June 26th.
The summons
In the summons sent by the ministry to the interested parties, we read: “Having seen the note dated 21 May 2024, acquired on the same date by this Ministry under protocol 93116, with which the company Maio Guglielmo srl sent a document relating to the implementation of the the plant in the Giammiglione area proposed by the company itself”. Even if the project has not yet received the green light in Calabria, the Ministry would be a done deal for its implementation. That “seen” has only this interpretative key. Even the interpretation given yesterday by the Calabrian parliamentarians of the Five Star Movement, who presented a question, goes in the direction that everything was decided, obviously directly and to the detriment of the Crotone and Calabrian people. In the same provision, the ministry notes that from next July, as per the Eni Rewind note, “the start of the Tenorm deposits is expected with the completion of the activities scheduled for September 2025”. Thus the idea emerges that the package to the detriment of Crotone and Calabria has already been packaged and that next June 26th it will be all a formality and the work to transfer the poisons from the seafront landfill to the Giammiglione plant could start immediately. Unless there is a new outcry from the Region, Municipality and Province of Crotone. The scenario does not allow even small glimmers of light to pass through, but if the regional council of Calabria, before 26 June, were to modify the regional waste plan, the one approved last March, the game could be resumed. The new regional waste plan allows poisons resulting from reclamation activities to be disposed of in Calabria. This is the idea that underlies every reasoning of Eni Rewind which, among other things, insists on being recognized for the principle introduced by Europe that waste must be disposed of in the sites where it was produced. A principle that applies to the rest of Europe, but not to Crotone. Industrial poisons from every corner of the continent have been arriving in Crotone for years and are disposed of in the Columbra landfill, still active, owned by the Vrenna group. Eni Rewind had also proposed disposing of the waste from the sea landfill in Columbra, but now the construction of the plant in Gaimmiglione is taking shape again, where waste of all types from the rest of the world can be delivered.
The Giammiglione landfill
In Giammiglione the spaces available would be immense. This European principle with a double meaning and interpretation is beautiful. Yes, because when it comes to penalizing Crotone the rules don’t apply. On the other hand, Crotone does not have local parliamentarians who defend its interests. The regional councilor Francesco Afflitto, M5s, did not even sign the convocation of the regional council of Calabria requested by the Pd group, the group leader of the 5 Star Movement and the group leader of the Mixed group to modify that regional waste plan in the part that favors Eni Rewind of leave the poisons in Crotone. The request for a meeting presented under an emergency procedure at the beginning of this month still lies in the drawers of the presidency of the regional council and has not even been requested by the person who presented it. One doubts whether there was a theater act performed for the European elections. This hypothesis can be denied immediately by taking action to request an immediate convocation so that the Council can decide before next June 26th. The situation requires emergency procedures while everything languishes. At this stage, even the Committees created to ask for the transfer of poisons out of Calabria are absent. Everything seems to have fallen asleep. The mayor of Crotone, Vincenzo Voce, also seems to have gone into hibernation, speaking only on official occasions. He hasn’t said a syllable about Maio’s project. The heat takes away your strength and plays nasty tricks.
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