“At this moment there is not the serenity necessary to discuss this reform. They gave a sharp acceleration to the law. So Italians experience it as highly divisive.” Thus Roberto Occhiuto, president of the Calabria Region and deputy national secretary of Forza Italia, in an interview with Corriere della Sera. It is said that this law will penalize the southern regions. “If it generated this disparity – he stated – would not be a good law. The text approved by the Senate is a good text, but it must be improved.”
Antonio Tajani, the secretary of Forza Italia, said that the issue of Lep, the essential levels of performance, is fundamental. “I think exactly like him. According to Tajani – said Occhiuto – it is also essential that the law supports the regions of the South”https://calabria.gazzettadelsud.it/articoli/politica/2024/06/14/occhiuto-leconomia- there is no flag-the-reform-must-be-improved-ad10a0c4-4d56-4bf0-801e-17979ff358bb/.”We need to review – he continued – the issue which concerns precisely the subjects where Lep are not foreseen. It is an aspect that in Calabria in the Regional Council it was raised by everyone, even by the League. The text says that for the subjects where LEPs are foreseen, before making an agreement, it is necessary to define and finance them, but the money is not yet there“.
For the Calabrian governor, however, this is not the case for matters where the Leps are not present and “this is the problem” e-bandierina-la-riforma-va-improveta-ad10a0c4-4d56-4bf0-801e-17979ff358bb/.”Because – he explained – an instant after the agreement, some regions could ask to stipulate agreements to be autonomous on some matters. Foreign trade, for example. What would happen for farmers in Campania and Calabria who export their goods? Abroad they might discover that the country is divided in half. Preliminary to the agreement there must be an assessment of the impact of the agreement itself. I think it's necessary. The Autonomy that I think of is a law that gives the regions the possibility to do more without this damaging the rights of citizens of other regions”.
Then on the result of the elections, Occhiuto recalled that Forza Italia in Calabria “had 18% and we were – he said – the second party two points behind Fratelli d'Italia. In the rest of the South it didn't go so well It's the fault of differentiated autonomy”, he added. “The fault,” she said, “is ours. We left this issue to the Democratic Party. In the South it was their only argument.” For the Calabrian governor, the law “must be discussed. I don't want to doubt – he continued – the commitments made with the government on the three reforms. But they must not be flags of individual political forces. On the justice reform, which is the one Forza Italia cares about most, we have not placed any ultimatum. It would be appropriate for this to happen for other reforms as well”, concluded Occhiuto.