Sardinia and insularity: after 4 years "courage is needed against isolation"

Final report to the Special Commission for insularity in the Regional Council. Speaking was President Michele Cossa who referred to the «future policies for the development of Sardinia» which, he explained, require «a courageous and innovative approach, which takes into account the complexity and diversity of the Island, which for this very reason it will not be able to host nuclear waste, which would deal a mortal blow to the image of Sardinia, damaging its attractiveness".

«I am convinced that the foundations laid by this commission are a step forward towards a prosperous and sustainable future for Sardinia - underlined Cossa -. With the aim of exploring new avenues, promoting economic development, protecting the environment and improving the quality of life of Sardinians, ensuring that it is not only a wonderful place to live, but also a model of innovation and sustainability."

During its mandate, the Commission studied the possible proposals to be put in place to overcome the gap due to the insular condition: «Specific policies are needed, both at national and European level. It is necessary - explained Cossa as already anticipated in a press conference ten days ago - to intervene with an additional allocation within the future cohesion policy to assist the islands, that is, to equip ourselves with the necessary tools to promote an integrated and targeted approach to island issues" . For Cossa «these additional resources, from a perspective of equity and convergence, should be quantified in such a way as to compensate for the loss of GDP per capita, with the aim of reducing the existing disparities between the islands and their continental counterparts and to guarantee that these regions have adequate access to the resources necessary for their development". «The Commission has worked diligently to identify and analyze the peculiar problems that Sardinia faces, providing a solid basis on which to build effective strategies for the future, to plan and implement policies that allow us to take maximum advantage of the peculiarities of the island, transforming challenges into opportunities", concluded the councilor.

(Unioneonline/ss)