Beppe Sala's darkest hour: compromise or resignation? Milan's future is being decided today with the Democratic Party.

Milan – The next few hours will be crucial for Giuseppe Sala . The mayor of Milan is preparing to face the most delicate moment of his second term, with a speech to the City Council on Monday, July 21, that could reshape the political balance at Palazzo Marino. Whether to continue or step back will largely depend on the guarantees he manages to obtain from the Democratic Party , the backbone of his majority.

Following the urban planning investigation that, in addition to Sala himself, has put councilors, municipal officials, builders, and architects under investigation , the mayor spent the weekend at his home, far from the corridors of power but immersed in the political calculations that could decide the fate of his administration. No longer the tears of last Thursday, when he learned he was under investigation, but a clear-eyed evaluation of the options remaining on the table .

The heart of the issue lies in the relationship with the Democratic Party, which has shown growing impatience with the mayor's decisions. "We want to continue alongside the mayor," declared Metropolitan Secretary Alessandro Capelli , but his subsequent words sound like an ultimatum: "concrete changes" and a new direction are needed that puts "social, environmental, opportunity, and equality issues at the center."

The Democrats spent the weekend in intense meetings , involving local secretariats and parliamentarians to define their approach. The message is clear: no more blind sailing , no more internal squabbling that has characterized recent months. If Sala wants to stay, he must guarantee a compact majority and a shared program to finish his term with dignity.

The decisive meeting is scheduled for today, Sunday afternoon, at 4 pm. On the table are burning issues such as San Siro , where an initial compromise has already been found: the resolution on the sale of the stadium will be postponed until September, satisfying the party's requests for prudence without compromising the project's technical timeframe.

Weighing on political assessments is the investigation by the Milan prosecutor's office, which has upended the city's equilibrium. Prosecutors have scrutinized an alleged system of "wild real estate speculation" that operated undisturbed for years, reshaping the Milanese skyline with controversial operations . The investigation, divided into several strands developed over nearly two years, has led to the request for six precautionary measures and over seventy people being investigated.

Stefano Boeri, Giancarlo Tancredi, the mayor of Milan Giuseppe Sala and Manfredi Catella

Among the recipients are city councilor Giancarlo Tancredi , for whom house arrest has been requested, and entrepreneur Manfredi Catella , founder of the Coima group. Architect Stefano Boeri and former deputy mayor and councilor Ada Lucia De Cesaris are also under investigation. Major city projects such as Porta Nuova, the "Pirellino" building, and the Olympic Village buildings have been targeted. Sala is under investigation for "false declarations regarding his own or other people's personal qualifications" and complicity in "undue inducement to give or promise benefits."

On Monday, July 21, at the City Council, Sala will deliver what his aides are calling the most important speech of his term . Not just a briefing on the investigation, but a full-fledged political manifesto for the remaining two years. The mayor will tout the successes he's achieved since 2011, first as commissioner of Expo 2015 and then as mayor, but he will devote the central part of his speech to the future.

The revitalization program includes the Housing Plan for 10,000 affordable rent-controlled apartments, increased urban green space to combat the urban heat island effect, the completion of the Seveso flood control basins (only one has been completed so far), the transformation of Piazzale Loreto, and the opening of the new Resistance Museum. But above all, a new, "unassailable" land management plan that leaves no room for ambiguous interpretations that could turn renovations into new construction.

What's at stake right now isn't just Sala's personal future , but the entire "Milan model" that has defined the last decade. An urban development system based on large-scale real estate projects and public-private partnerships that is now being challenged, not only judicially but also politically.

The mayor and his entourage are aware that simply "pulling the cart" until 2027 is no longer enough. If they restart, it must be with the energy and determination of a fresh start, "as if starting a two-year term all over again." The political nature of the city government will depend on the next few hours.