Infrastructure, work, urban regeneration and green transition are some of the “key topics” identified by Ance Calabria in the Memorandum for candidates for the presidency of the Calabria Region, in view of the elections of 5 and 6 October, presented this morning at the Ance Calabria headquarters, in via Lombardi in Catanzaro.
President Roberto Rugna and the general manager of Ance Luigi Leone took part in the press conference, who shared the proposals and strategic priorities of the construction sector, made available to candidates for the presidency of the region; In addition to the rest of the Presidency Council, composed of the presidents of the various territorials. Present the president of Catanzaro, Dr. Luigi Alfieri, the new president of the territorial of Vibo Valentia Domenico Ceravolo, and Michele Laganà, president of the territorial of Reggio Calabria. Remarting, the president of the Territorial of Cosenza Giuseppe Galiano, and Giuseppe Sammarco, president of the territorial of Crotone.
The document, the result of an analysis and synthesis work, does not claim to be a political program, but represents a technical and concrete contribution available to regional policy. The construction in Calabria, with 12,190 active companies, is worth 12.9% of investments in regional GDP and represents over 50% of industry employees. A sector already recognized as a strategic for economic development by the Calabria Region and included in the intelligent specialization strategy (S3), but which today needs a real industrial plan in the sector.
“We are no longer talking about concrete, but of sustainability, digitization, technological innovation – said Rugna -. Construction has become the main vehicle to implement the 2030 agenda strategies and to translate energy, environmental and quality of life policies into concrete actions. The topics of energy efficiency, circular economy, urban regeneration are no longer the future, but the present with which we confront every day ».
Strategic infrastructures and sustainable construction sites
The Memorandum identifies in the SS106 Jonica, in the port of Gioia Tauro and in the bridge on the strait the cornerstones of the infrastructures necessary for the development of Calabria. “We can no longer allow us delays or interventions in Leopardo Macchia – Rugna highlighted -. We need a unique control room, which guarantees certain times, safety of construction sites and positive repercussions on the local supply chain. At the same time, the great works must be accompanied by tools for the management of construction and demolition waste, with a view to a true circular economy “.
Circular economy and extractive policies
The transition of the sector requires a closure of the material cycle, with selection on site, treatment platforms, traceability and reuse as raw materials and second. The document urges the Region to prepare guidelines and incentives to encourage recovery and recycling, as well as the completion of the legislation on extractive activities and the drafting of a regional quarry plan.
Work and qualified training
Another central point is the needs of specialized labor, estimated at over 2,500 work units. “We cannot grow without new skills – said Rugna -. We need a regional strategic plan which, through the school bodies of the building boxes, accompanies training, job placement and professional updating. The positive experience of the Oikos project shows that the way is this: investing in training means guaranteeing future for businesses and employment stability for young people ».
Urban regeneration and quality of life
The document recalls the urgency to complete the regional law on urban regeneration, integrating it with the drafting of the regional landscape plan. “The competitiveness of Calabria does not depend only on large transport networks – Rugna remarked – but also on the livability of the cities, on the ability to redevelop the historic centers and to mend the suburbs. Regenerating means restoring value and identity to the territories, containing soil consumption and creating new spaces of sociality and economics ».
Green transition and natural energy
Great attention is paid to environmental sustainability: zero emissions buildings, environmentally friendly materials, green building, energy efficiency, recovery of rainwater, increase in urban green. All objectives consistent with community directives and with the regional energy plan.
Capacity Building and administrative simplification
To implement this vision, the document underlines, a modern public administration is essential, digitized and capable of simplifying the procedures. “The quality of the rules and procedures is decisive – added Rugna -. It is not a question of asking for shortcuts, but of building clear rules, certain times and enhancing the best technical and managerial professionalism. Only in this way can construction really become a sustainable development engine for the whole region ».
A commitment to Calabria
The Memorandum ends with an invitation to politics to make clear choices: law on regeneration, landscape plan, work plan, extractive activities, targeted financial instruments and support for the supply chain. “We do not ask for favors but responsibilities – concluded Rugna -. These objectives are not only used for companies, but to the whole community. Investigating in construction means improving the quality of life of Calabrian citizens and building a more modern, safe and inclusive region “.
«Our document is designed for a strategic sector such as the construction sector, now central also for the start of many infrastructure works in Calabria. Ance has always been carrying out the vision of an construction oriented to sustainability: we propose a extractive plan for the quarries, we sensitize the need for construction site waste treatment plants, and we promote urban regeneration with efficient buildings from an energy point of view.
In Catanzaro, Crotone and Vibo, an important measure was started through the Cassa Edile: the funds were intended for training courses on workers’ safety and professional qualification. The goal is to enhance the construction sites to the maximum and guarantee a final product of superior quality, “said President Luigi Alfieri.
«We believe a lot in training as a tool to counter depopulation and offer young concrete opportunities. Qualified training allows immediate hiring and promotes the regeneration of urban and historical centers, restoring identity to places and creating favorable conditions for new investments “, added President Ceravolo.
«There is a need for a real systemic and industrial plan of the sector. The construction sector crosses crucial themes for Calabria in a transversal way: mobility, urban regeneration, social estate, environmental protection. A clear policy in the sector can decline responses on several levels and become a flywheel development for the region, “said President Laganà
«We have two fundamental points. The first is to free the sector from the old image of the “cements”: construction today means sustainability, energy transition, circular economy, innovative buildings. It is a sector that crosses all the themes of development and that the region itself has recognized strategic, inserting it in the intelligent specialization strategy and in community funds -concluded the general manager Leone -. But it is necessary to fill these tools of concrete content: it is no coincidence that one of the central points of our Memorandum is the plan for work, with the prospect of absorbing at least 2,500 new units. We thank all of you for your attention: our goal is to contribute with responsibility to the sustainable development of Calabria ».