Catania-Ragusa motorway: here we are. In just over a month, on 5 September, the Interministerial Committee for Economic Planning (CIPE) will give the green light to the new procedure for building the Sicilian infrastructure. This was announced by the Prime Minister, Giuseppe Conte, responding to the governor of Sicily, Nello Musumeci, who spoke today at Palazzo Chigi on the important road artery of the south-east of the island.
"Thanks to the commitment of MIT and Anas - Conte underlined - we have taken a big step forward which will lead us to the next meeting of the CIPE, in early September, to define the time schedule and the financial aspects to start the construction sites".
In general, the Prime Minister highlighted that during the last two meetings of the Committee "several fundamental works for the development of the country were released, freeing up 28 billion euros for new infrastructure investments and above all for the maintenance of our roads and railways, with great attention to the South”.
During Thursday's meeting, the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Danilo Toninelli, declared the concession model closed, assuring that the work will be carried out only with public money.
“I thanked the premier – Musumeci said – for having kept his commitment with Sicily and reconfirmed the Region's willingness to support the work with the 217 million already programmed and with the willingness to increase the allocation, if necessary. Today's acknowledgment is a useful step in overcoming the scheme of the Finance Project, judged unsustainable by the Ministry of the Economy. But now an effort is still needed: a truly definitive agreement with the company that owns the project, the transfer of which is subject to an arbitration whose timing and the formalization of the special purpose company between Anas and Cas for the realization of the project and of the building site".
The governor also requested that the registered office of the new public company be in Ragusa and invited the prime minister to bring a definitive timetable to the September meeting to ensure certain times.
“The date of 5 September – concluded Musumeci – is essential to really be aware of which and how many resources the state will make available. I also thank Economy Minister Tria because we are one step away from resolving an issue that sees everyone united and on which we don't want to waste any more time”.
ASTI-CUNEO, VERONA-VICENZA, AGRIGENTO-CALTANISSETTA
Conte also announced that “as promised, the works for the completion of the Asti-Cuneo motorway are restarting, a work whose concession dates back to thirty years ago. We are doing our utmost to speed up the start-up of as many construction sites as possible”.
A solution has also been found “to speed up the works on the Verona-Vicenza high-speed railway – the Premier said – These are works that add up to the many others unblocked in recent days, from North to South. Another good news it is the agreement to resolve the dispute between Anas and Cmc which will allow work to resume on the 640 Agrigento-Caltanissetta state road”.
And again: “Shortly, as required by the 'Sblocca-cantieri' decree, I will sign the first decrees for the appointment of extraordinary commissioners for large infrastructure projects which are still in a stalemate. Finally, we are proceeding to make the InvestItalia mission structure operational as soon as possible, through which we will support the public administrations with a pool of experts and technicians in order to speed up even more the unblocking of construction sites and optimize the use of the many resources available for investments".
GREEN LIGHT TO 49 MILLION FOR UNISALENTO
The Minister for the South, Barbara Lezzi, announced in a note that "the last step was put in place at the Cipe meeting which has just concluded in Palazzo Chigi for the reassignment of the 49 million already envisaged in the Plan for the South in favor of the University of Salento. As part of this huge sum, I gave the definitive go-ahead for the remodulation, requested by the Puglia Region, of 17 million euros. Through the interventions that will be carried out with these resources, the University will be able to make a leap forward in terms of modernization, sustainability and hospitality".
