There was no handover between the outgoing president of the Sardinian Sea Port Authority, Massimo Deiana, and Commissioner Domenico Bagalà, who is expected to replace him. On Tuesday morning, the door to the most important office in the Molo Dogana building in Cagliari remained locked, and the engineer appointed by Transport Minister Matteo Salvini was unable to take up his post. A certified email signed by Deiana was sent from the computer on the desk inside the office a few days ago. The recipient: the Northern League leader's ministry. The subject: alleged irregularity in the appointment, with a request for clarification. Thus, the stalemate at the top of the body that governs the island's ten maritime ports.

The dispute

The dispute is being played out on familiar ground for Deiana, as he teaches maritime law at the University of Cagliari. And the (sore) point is legal. After two terms, his term as president expired in mid-July. Meanwhile, Rome had reached an agreement on the names to be nominated for the permanent, non-commissioner-led leadership of other Italian authorities. Not so for the Sardinian one: Deiana's term had been formally extended until August 31st. Last Saturday, the situation suddenly accelerated: Salvini signed the decree appointing Bagalà. According to the statement released by the ministry, Bagalà is expected to carry out activities aimed "at ensuring the administrative continuity and full operation of the Authority until the ordinary governing bodies are restored." The problem, according to Deiana, lies precisely here: as long as his term is extended, the aforementioned "administrative continuity" is guaranteed. A replacement appointed before his term expires—August 31st—could only be a new president with full powers. And not a special commissioner, who could take over only in the event of a resignation, which Deiana has not submitted. To support his argument, the professor cited articles of law, which rank above ministerial decrees in the hierarchy of sources. He has prepared his objections and is now awaiting a response from the ministry.

The passage

According to leaks from port officials, there's no political tug-of-war behind this stance (Deiana's ties to the Democratic Party are well-known) nor any reservations about Bagalà's abilities. Calabrese, who turns 58 tomorrow, has lived in Cagliari since 2004. In the city, at Porto Canale, he was director of Contship, a container terminal company that operates with Medcenter in Gioia Tauro, where Bagalà was the top executive. Currently, he is director of new investments at Progetto Esmeralda srl, a company that manages luxury vacations at Forte Village, as well as Palazzo Doglio, where he oversaw the urban redevelopment. He knows the city's political landscape well and wasn't thrust into it. However, the procedures for assigning the position are contested. Deiana believes they are irregular.

The Commissioner

Bagalà, for his part, says he is calm: "The appointment decree is fully effective," he assures, "I took office on Tuesday, August 12th and began studying the various ports' dossiers together with the Secretary General."

Enrico Fresu

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