Sardinia produces. Sardinia exports. Sardinia demands justice.

Sardinian businesses, cooperatives, trade associations and institutional representatives underline this in a letter addressed to the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Matteo Salvini , to denounce «the unsustainable cost of maritime freight transport , a structural crisis that is suffocating the Sardinian economy and risks worsening further with the entry into force of the ETS system on 1 January 2026 ».

The list of signatories is very long (the complete list is at the bottom of the page), starting with Michele Cossa (Committee for Insularity) and Aldo Salaris (Vice President of the Regional Council of Sardinia), along with trade associations (Assospedizionieri/Federsped, Confindustria Sardegna, Coldiretti, Confartigianato Sardegna, CNA, Confapi, Confagricoltura, Confcommercio, Confesercenti, Confcooperative, Confartigianato Sassari, Confartigianato Sud Sardegna), transport and logistics operators, and manufacturing and distribution companies.

"The transport of goods to and from Sardinia," it is emphasized, "is currently experiencing a structural crisis. Costs have skyrocketed, uncertainty has become systemic, and the island's businesses are suffering from a decline in their competitiveness, production continuity, and employment. This is not a seasonal emergency: it is a permanent economic bottleneck, which risks worsening further."
Furthermore, the signatories continue, "During the summer months, the volume of cargo transported increases by up to 80%, but hold capacity does not follow suit: on the contrary, it is often reduced in favor of passenger traffic, which is more profitable for shipowners. The result is that reservations do not guarantee the trip, logistics planning becomes haphazard, and costs explode precisely when demand is highest."
"Article 119 of the Constitution is not a wish: it is a binding law," explains Michele Cossa. He adds: "The disadvantages resulting from insularity must be compensated for. We are not asking for privileges, we are asking that the law be respected. Corsica has a publicly funded and functioning compensation system. Greece does the same. Sardinia does not. And meanwhile , our businesses are losing competitiveness with each passing day. This is a specific political responsibility: we cannot continue to ignore it."
The letter recalls that "Sardinia's problem is certainly not unique in Europe: it has already been addressed—and resolved—in other island contexts. France has obtained authorization from the European Union to support the maritime transport of people and goods to Corsica with approximately €120 million annually, qualifying it as an essential service subject to public service obligations. Greece invests between €70 and €150 million annually to offset the costs of insularity. In Sardinia, however, everything continues to be left to the market, even when the market clearly demonstrates its ineffectiveness."
"This is not an ideological issue, nor is it a partisan issue. It is a question," says Aldo Salaris , "of territorial equity that concerns every entrepreneur, every worker, every Sardinian citizen. Regional institutions stand alongside the productive sector in this battle. We need the national government to embrace this as its own priority, to stop delegating to the market a function that the market alone is incapable of performing. We ask Minister Salvini for a serious, rapid, and productive discussion."

THE PROPOSALS – The letter makes "precise and urgent" requests to the Government, starting with the introduction of binding public service obligations for maritime freight transport, which concretely guarantee:

  • A minimum guaranteed capacity for freight transport on each route;
  • Guaranteed travel for pre-booked vehicles, eliminating the practice of overbooking semi-trailers;
  • A seasonal adjustment of the offer based on actual traffic flows;
  • The use of dedicated RO-RO vessels, not in competition with passenger traffic;
  • Public compensation that neutralizes the structural costs of insularity and the impacts of the ETS.

"Over the past three years," notes Massimiliano Manca, an engineer and logistics and transport expert, "the average cost of a semi-trailer crossing has increased by over 60% on the main routes. But the problem isn't just the price: it's the unpredictability. A Sardinian company doesn't know, when loading the goods, whether they will arrive at their destination on time. This is unacceptable in any modern logistics system. And starting in 2026, with the full ETS regime, we're estimating a further increase of between 20 and 40% on the cost of the crossing."
For all these reasons, Minister Salvini is being asked to hold an "urgent meeting to initiate a working group on freight transport, insularity, and the ETS system."
THE SIGNATORIES:
Michele Cossa (Committee for Insularity) — Aldo Salaris (Vice President of the Regional Council of Sardinia).
Trade associations
Assospedizionieri/Federsped, Confindustria Sardegna, Coldiretti, Confartigianato Sardegna, CNA, Confapi, Confagricoltura, Confcommercio, Confesercenti, Confcooperative, Confartigianato Sassari, Confartigianato Sud Sardegna
Transport and logistics operators
Carlo Marongiu Spedizioni Srl, Lilliu Trasporti Srl, CRC Transport Snc, Sanna Trasporti Snc, Cuccu Riccardo Trasporti Srl, Tirso Trasporti, Trasporti Italia Sardegna Srl, ID Srl, Eurotrans Logistica Srl.
Production and distribution companies
COAGRI, Coop Ortofrutticola Villasor, 3A Arborea, Nieddittas, Agricola Campidanese, Cantina Sociale di Santadi, and over forty companies in the fruit and vegetable sector: Franco Ortu Srl, Frutta 10 Srl, Ortofrutticola Campdano, AB 84 Srl, Pisano Ortofrutta Srl, L'Agricoltore Srl, G.Franco Pau Srl, Fois Pinna Paola Srl, Pinna Srl, Coro&Bio Srl, Ortofruttolu Snc, Deplano Ivaldo, Nuova Mediterranea Frutta Srl, Transfrutta, Enafrutta Srl, Sardoliva Srl, GSN Ortofrutta Srl, Pibiri & Serra Snc, Cabras Efisio, Fruit Point Sas, F.lli Muscas Snc, Paribello Frutta, Giuseppe Sbressa e F. Srl, G&F Fruit Srl, Silmafrutta Srl, Nuova Ires Ortofrutta Srl, GesGrav Srl, Man Srl, Walfrutta Srl, Francesco Ulleri, Sarda Grossisti Frutta Srl, F.lli Loche Srl, Deplano Service Srl, Mamusa Srl, FGB Sas, F.lli Pibiri Sas, SaBro Srl, L'Ortofrutta, San Firmino Snc, CL Ortofrutta Srls.
(Unioneonline/lf)

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