Marsilio in the hearing at the First Commission of the Senate: “To overcome the cost-benefit criterion for the development and valorisation of mountain areas” (1)
(REGFLASH) Rome, 19 June – “To overcome the cost-benefit criterion, which inevitably penalizes the development and valorization of mountain areas, a criterion for measuring the level of performance should be introduced that guarantees the right to mobility and accessibility of the most disadvantaged places”. This was stated by the President of the Abruzzo Region, Marco Marsilio, speaking this morning in a video conference at the hearing of the Constitutional Affairs Commission of the Senate, discussing bills 276, 396 and 1054 regarding the provisions for the development and valorisation of the areas mountainous. Taking advantage of the presence of Minister Calderoli in the Commission, Marsilio added that: “when we talk about differentiated autonomy, which is being discussed in Parliament right now, we want to have the same possibility of traveling 200 kilometers between Rome and Pescara with the same speed with which you travel 200 kilometers between Florence and Bologna, between Bologna and Milan, between Milan and Turin. Thus we reduce the gaps between the different areas of the country and make all places accessible, guaranteeing equal rights of citizenship and development, of future prospects for all citizens, wherever they live.”
Responding to the senators’ questions, the president of the Abruzzo Region, Marco Marsilio, also underlined “the importance of permanent structural measures to compensate for the higher costs of living in disadvantaged areas, encouraging a freer choice of residence for families”, in particularly those with school-age children, forced to make long and expensive daily trips to attend school.” For this reason Marsilio emphasized the need for investments in infrastructure, citing as an example the Rome-Pescara fast railway project, and a possible L’Aquila-Rome connection, which could reduce territorial gaps and make the internal areas of ‘Abruzzo more accessible. Marsilio also mentioned the battle conducted together with the Presidents of the Marche and Umbria Regions for the use of PSC funds and the complementary fund for post-earthquake reconstruction in the construction of road infrastructures. Finally, President Marsilio underlined the importance of investments in tangible and intangible infrastructures, such as broadband and digital connectivity, to fill gaps and guarantee equal development opportunities for all areas of the country. “These investments – concluded Marsilio – are crucial to prevent the rebuilt areas from remaining empty and deserted”. (REGFLASH) FSUS190624
