He does not hide his disappointment towards some councilors who have not avoided “regrettable” emergencies. He sets the stakes for the reshuffle that will be done “by mid-July”. And he places Forza Italia as the main planet of a galaxy around which all the centrist parties will rotate “with which to share not a greater number of positions in the cabinet but political decisions”: sitting in his office at Palazzo d’Orleans at the end of the morning, the president of the Sicilian Region Renato Schifani has in his hands the data of the corrective maneuver that has just passed the scrutiny of the ARS but it is the dossiers still open that keep him busy.
President, were you expecting a new waste emergency like the one caused by the closure of the Lentini landfill just as you are planning the waste-to-energy plants?
“What happened with the landfill and the TMB plant in Lentini is truly unfortunate. And it fell on my desk without anyone ever informing me beforehand.”
Yet, it all started from opinions and authorizations denied by the Region that you lead. Thus the collection in 200 Municipalities went haywire.
«In fact, it is an affair that has saddened me due to the total lack of cohesion in the government’s action. The Department of the Environment and the Department of Waste (led by Elena Pagana and Roberto Di Mauro, ndr) acted without constructively coordinating with each other and above all without warning me of the consequences that could arise from their actions. I had to involve all my staff, and for this I thank, one above all, the head of cabinet Totò Sammartano, to solve the problem. But this situation makes me think that a change of pace is needed and I will ask all the councilors for it. Greater cohesion and coordination with the presidency is needed among them, especially when social tensions may depend on their actions. Anyone who doesn’t stick to this method will leave the council alone. I cannot be the recipient of other people’s dysfunctions.”
Do you think the mistake arose at a political or even bureaucratic level?
«Aside from political considerations, in February, when the contracts expire, I do not intend to renew many of the top bureaucrats, giving space to new and willing generations of managers».
What is the solution for the waste emergency?
“The waste-to-energy plants. We have already identified the two areas in Palermo and Catania where they will be built. In July, thanks to the powers of commissioner, I will approve the new waste plan. By the end of the year we will have the basic projects and the calls for tender for the integrated tender. I will work to ensure that they are built by the end of the legislature.”
Let’s stay on the topic of emergencies. It’s not the government’s fault if it doesn’t rain, but could the drought have been addressed better?
«I cannot fail to point out that I have found a Region where for more than 20 years no one has been responsible for the maintenance of dams and their completion. Without considering the dilapidated and unseemly water networks which, in the face of a drought like the one we are experiencing, have amplified the problem. I can assure you that we are doing everything we can to help the agricultural and livestock sectors. And to prevent tourism from being penalized by calls to cancel holidays in Sicily from other parts of the world. Furthermore, we have obtained funds to activate one hundred new wells. We will have a navy ship that will provide us with supplies when needed. And we will be ready with the tankers. Furthermore, we have allocated 90 million to reactivate the three watermakers in Gela, Porto Empedocle and Trapani which have been abandoned for 14 years in an unjustifiable way. If they were in operation, the situation would be different today.”
The emergency of courses not paid for by professional training institutions also broke out during the election campaign. His intervention was requested, will he arrive?
“Despite being involved in very serious emergencies, we will deal with them as soon as possible. Likewise, maximum attention will be paid to ensuring that the department proceeds with the reform I announced during the election campaign: the organization of courses that are more responsive to the demand coming from the labor market.”
Since we’ve talked about the councilors who disappointed you, shall we address the issue of the reshuffle?
“I will do it by July, hopefully sooner. And I will have to start by replacing the assessor for the Economy, Marco Falcone, elected in Brussels, whom I thank for his commitment in these two years. I am convinced that he will also do an excellent job in the European Parliament in the interest of Sicily”.
By the way, there is talk of Gaetano Armao for that role.
«Armao is doing an excellent job at the CTS (the commission that gives authorizations for large projects, ndr) and will remain there.”
The other name is that of Giovanni La Via, close to Falcone.
“My choice will be free and autonomous. And it can only fall on a figure with proven experience in the economic sector and knowledge of the Region’s accounts.”
Edy Tamajo remains in Sicily. What role will he have in his government?
“Edy will remain at Productive Activities. Beyond the significant electoral contribution he made, he made a gesture of high political sensitivity by allowing Caterina Chinnici to continue her commitment in Europe against all forms of organized crime.”
And will the League councilors change?
“I await the decision of the Review Court on Luca Sammartino’s appeal against his disqualification from public office. His absence from the council weighs on me.”
Totò Cuffaro, Saverio Romano and Raffaele Lombardo contributed to Forza Italia’s result and many expect more space for them. How will it end?
“Premise. The Sicilian party was instrumental in bringing Forza Italia to 10% at the national level. And the type of alliances and federations put in place here reflects that project of openness to the forces that recognize themselves in the EPP that I spoke about in the aftermath of Berlusconi’s death. Forza Italia can be the pivot around which all the forces that refer to the EPP revolve. At a regional level, the DC and the MPA will remain autonomous parties and will maintain the spaces within the regional government determined by the outcome of the 2022 regional elections.”
You have approved the corrective maneuver at the ARS. What are the next commitments before the summer break?
“In the meantime, I would like to say that we have respected the commitments made to the Sicilians on several fronts. A package of structural measures of 300 million has been approved, for example, for companies to reduce interest rates, municipalities to reduce waste costs and to save Ast, which will become an in-house company and will manage social routes. Furthermore, the historic scourge of precarious employment in Palermo has been eliminated with the definitive stabilization of all former Pip workers. We have allocated an additional 37 million to mitigate the effects of the drought in the agricultural and livestock sectors. In July, thanks to increased tax revenues, we will be able to make another maneuver, which will give space to further proposals from the government and Parliament. Then, in the fall, we will launch the reform of the land reclamation consortia.”
Source: Gds.it – Interview by Giacinto Pipitone
