Assets confiscated from clans, stalemate in the Region: "Municipalities in difficulty, law to be changed"

Milan – The resolution was approved unanimously on March 18 at the initiative of the Regional Anti-Mafia Commission. But despite having gathered cross-party consensus, it is still a dead letter. “We hoped to be able to make it executive when the law for the regulatory review reached the Regional Council, but that was not the case, it was not possible to approve any amendment that went in this direction – Michela Palestra, regional councilor of the Patto Civico, remarks polemically –. Municipalities, especially small ones, continue to have difficulties in redeveloping properties confiscated from the mafia, which in most cases are large and therefore expensive to regenerate, and are unable to take on new ones”.

Yes, the resolution in question aims to remedy the unequal treatment between municipalities established by regional law. Municipalities with fewer than five thousand inhabitants can in fact benefit from a 90% regional co-participation in the costs of requalifying confiscated assets. For municipalities with more than five thousand inhabitants, the co-participation drops to 50%. Hence the difficulties that several administrations with more than five thousand inhabitants have encountered in completing plans to recover confiscated assets or in taking on new ones. Difficulties that, as mentioned, have led regional councilors to approve a resolution in a bipartisan spirit . But without repercussions, at least for now.

“The regeneration plan for the Libera Masseria in Cisliano, a municipality that has just surpassed five thousand inhabitants, was prepared by Stefano Boeri and is worth 4 million euros, an investment that the municipal administration is struggling to sustain even though it currently has just over five thousand inhabitants – explains Palestra –. Another similar case is that of the Tenuta Terre e Libertà in Spino d'Adda . But unfortunately, the examples are different. Since the window of the ordinance has closed in vain, I ask that the Regional Council intervene or that the resolution be approved during the budget adjustment in July”.

Just yesterday marked the tenth anniversary of the Libera Masseria di Cisliano, managed by “Una casa anche per te“ and Caritas. An anniversary celebrated with a public meeting at the Opera Cardinal Ferrari which was also attended by the regional councilor for Security, Romano La Russa . During his speech, the councilor opened up to the modification of the regional law: “It will be a difficult and tortuous path , most likely not a short one, which will have the objective of leading to an improvement of the law without any Municipality being penalized, especially centers with few inhabitants and therefore with limited resources. The hope is that the municipal administration of Cisliano and Caritas, also thanks to the work of Don Massimo Mapelli, will be able to see their work rewarded”.

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