by Marco Olivieri
MESSINA – The marginalization in the development and cohesion funds, FSC 2021-27, of the metropolitan city of Messina continues to be discussed. A pact between the national and regional governments worth 6.8 billion euros, with 580 interventions in Sicily. Only 457 million euros in the Messina area. A topic on which we have focused and which never ceases to be discussed. As reported yesterday the Republic – Palermo edition, the Municipality of Messina obtained 74 million euros, while the Municipalities of the two Sicilian cities reach much higher figures. 944 million Palermo and 768 Catania.
19 million for the completion of the port of Tremestieri; 16.8 million for the Citadel of culture at the former “Margherita” and 40 million for the construction of the Monforte San Giorgio junction, among the interventions planned in the area. The metropolitan mayor Federico Basile underlined: “Only 40% of the municipalities in the province of Messina will receive funding, while the remaining 60% have been completely ignored. This, despite the projects presented being already executive and ready for construction. Even the metropolitan city of Messina, the only one among the three Sicilian metropolises, has not received any funding, in stark contrast to what happened in Palermo and Catania. The mayors denounce a total lack of consultation with the territories during the project selection process.”
From the water sector, for 60 million, to the landfills of Portella Arena and Vallone Guidari, many proposals were not accepted. There are those who attribute this to a planning weakness of the current Messina administration, for example, and those to a political choice of the centre-right.
It’s up to politics to find solutions
In any case, the priority is the metropolitan city, its capital and its province. And it is up to parliamentarians to make themselves heard. National and regional representatives, of whatever color they are, must have constant attention towards places so full of problems and emergencies. And it is up to politics, at all levels, to identify new solutions to address the needs of the territory.
