The law on differentiated autonomy “contradicts the need for an authentic reform in an autonomist sense, altering the balance of relations between the Regions and between the Regions and the State”. This is what is written in the proposed resolution for the request for a referendum to repeal Law 86 of 26 June 2024, which will be discussed in the Regional Council of Campania on 8 July. The proposal was presented by the vice-president of the Regional Council of Campania Valeria Ciarambino (mixed group), by the group leader of the Democratic Party Mario Casillo, by the group leader of Azione-Per, Pasquale Di Fenza, by the councilors Corrado Matera (mixed group), Andrea Volpe (Psi), Fulvio Frezza (mixed group), Vincenzo Alaia (Italia Viva), Luigi Abbate (Campania Libera), Vittoria Lettieri and Diego Venanzoni of the De Luca President Group. The proposed resolution states that “the Campania Region, also at the Conference of Regions and Autonomous Provinces, has always ensured support for the development of autonomist models, provided that the founding principles of the Constitution are inviolable, such as the promotion of autonomy, the unity and indivisibility of the Republic referred to in Article 5 of the Constitution and, therefore, without prejudice to the principles of national cohesion. However, subsequent developments of the bill have contradicted the affirmation of the aforementioned principles, so much so that, when expressing the opinion of the Regions in the Unified Conference of 2 March 2023, the Campania region, together with the regions of Emilia-Romagna, Puglia and Tuscany, expressed a vote against. The subsequent parliamentary process did not record any improvements in the text of the law such as to overcome the major critical issues highlighted, in terms of national cohesion and the unity and indivisibility of the Republic”. The Conference of the Presidents of the Council Groups has set the extraordinary session for Monday 8 July from 3:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. If the proposed resolution is approved, the President of the Campania Regional Council Gennaro Oliviero will be given the mandate “to communicate the resolution to the Regional Councils of all the other Regions, with an invitation to adopt an equal act so that the referendum initiative can be followed up”. “We are approaching the extraordinary Regional Council with the spirit of a moral imperative. Many citizens of Campania and Southern Italy are asking us to do so, as are many associations: the law on differentiated autonomy must be cancelled”. Thus, the President of the Campania Regional Council Gennaro Oliviero. “I think that the idea of holding a referendum and therefore that citizens can express themselves is positive considering that it is a law that significantly impacts the future of the country and the way of life of citizens”. This is what the mayor of Naples, Gaetano Manfredi, said, who underlined that “for now we have a law on paper, then we have to see how it will be applied, but I believe that a fragmentation of competences is not good for anyone. In addition to the problem of gaps, a theme that certainly exists, what worries me is this excessive fragmentation of competences especially in strategic sectors.
