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The Sicilian Transport Committee (Cts) has lifted the stoppage of services “to unblock the logistical situation in Sicily and give a signal of openness to the government”. The decision came after discussions with the Ministry of Transport, during which, he explains, “almost all of the requests from the claim platform were accepted”. The association specifies, however, that the companies “will remain in a state of turmoil until the last open issues are completely resolved.” Of the requests presented by the CTS, only two cannot be immediately accepted. Minister Matteo Salvini has however guaranteed that, explains the Committee, with the launch of the permanent table for Southern Italy, the necessary coverage will be identified to extend the tax credit on diesel for a further four months and to introduce contributions aimed at limiting the costs of ferry tickets for crossing the Strait of Messina.
Rixi: “Satisfaction is only partial. Signs of détente are expected in Calabria, Puglia and Campania”
“Satisfaction is only partial” because the government’s measures have yet to become operational, but the blockades in Sicily should be lifted and signs of détente are also expected in Puglia, Calabria and partly in Campania. This was said by the Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Edoardo Rixi, at the end of the meeting with the local and autonomous representatives of the Southern road transport sector, which lasted over two and a half hours. “We reiterated the fact that the government will immediately both release the 480 million in compensation for expensive diesel fuel until August and allocate another 60 million for the months of September and October,” explained Rixi. «Then there is the issue of finding a system that essentially allows any increases in the cost of diesel to be spread across the entire supply chain, without having them fall solely on road transport. We obviously left with a series of objectives to achieve in the next week,” he added. At most “ten days”, according to the transporters present, for a real proposal to be made.
The key points of the agreement
Specifically, the key points of the agreement that the ministry has undertaken to make operational are the immediate release of arrears: disbursement of funds for the Sea Modal Shift (Sms) relating to the years 2023/2024 and 2025/2026, for a value of approximately 104 million euros; increase in funds: allocation of a further 50 million euros for the third year (2026/2027); diesel tax credit: immediate release of 430 million euros relating to applications already submitted, which must be made immediately spendable in the tax drawer; institutional representation: stable inclusion of the CTS in all institutional tables dedicated to mobility and transport, including the new Council, to guarantee the protection of companies in Southern Italy. «We want to go back to work and not further penalize the territory», says the CTS, «but the revocation of the arrest is not a blank bill. We will monitor with extreme attention the respect of the deadlines and the establishment of the table for the South”.
Schifani: «The lifting of the arrest was good, thanks to Salvini. The Region will also do its part”
The president of the Sicilian Region, Renato Schifani, expresses satisfaction with the decision of the Sicilian hauliers to lift the stoppage of services, thus avoiding serious repercussions on the island’s economy.
«I thank Minister Matteo Salvini – says Schifani – with whom I had spoken in recent days precisely to urge a solution to the dispute. The discussion has given positive results and I hope that the questions still open can also be answered soon. For our part, we have already provided further resources for the sector in the bill on budget changes currently being examined by the ARS, confirming the regional government’s attention towards a strategic category for the Sicilian economy”.