The sea surrounding Sardinia isn't just a geographical border. For the island's businesses, it represents a permanent additional cost, weighing on every imported raw material and every product destined for national and international markets. This disadvantage limits the competitiveness of the production system and is now recognized by Europe as a measurable economic gap. Although the 1999 Attili Law established territorial continuity—guaranteeing reliable connections between Sardinia and the mainland—this measure has never been implemented for goods.
The network
This is the starting point for the mobilization of "Ambassadors of Sardinia," the newly formed business network supporting a simple demand: obtaining concrete tools to offset the effects of insularity and guarantee the island equal growth opportunities with the rest of Italy. The initiative was presented on Friday in the "Giorgio Pisano" room of the Unione Sarda in Cagliari, bringing together the entire regional production chain: from agriculture to the processing industry, from transport to trade associations, and even large-scale retail trade. The demand is based on a study by the Bruno Leoni Institute. According to the report, 98% of goods entering and leaving Sardinia travel by sea, resulting in logistics costs 40% higher than in the rest of the country, with an estimated loss of competitiveness of around 30%. This represents an overall economic loss estimated at approximately €350 million per year.
The claim
The appeal is echoed by the coordinator of the Ambassadors of Sardinia, Pierpaolo Murgia, who sees the European Commission's document as a turning point. "For the first time, Brussels has affirmed that the hardship of the islands can be measured. Sardinia's request to the national government for adequate resources to compensate for this disadvantage must begin here." Comparisons with other European countries are inevitable. "Corsica and the Balearic Islands have received significant support measures over the years. We have only received crumbs." Even the recognition of a portion of the resources estimated by the study, Murgia maintains, "would be a significant step forward."
The voices
The "No to Isolation" front unites associations and entrepreneurs. Andrea Porcu, CEO of Confindustria Sardegna, points out that this "is a long-standing battle shared by the business community." Coldiretti President Battista Cualbu echoes this sentiment, criticizing political delays: "For years, there has been talk of insularity without solutions. We demand reciprocity with other EU regions and islands."
The economic damage is then reflected in individual production facilities. For Massimiliano Meloni of Fattorie Gennargentu, "these conditions leave us out of the most important market opportunities," while Adolfo Valsecchi, founder of As do Mar, estimates that the company's annual bill exceeds one million euros. "We pay high costs not only to export, but also to transport raw materials and packaging." Logistics thus becomes the true bottleneck for development. Salvatore Lotta of the cooperative L'Orto di Eleonora highlights the impossibility of planning commercial growth: "Without the certainty that goods will depart regularly, it's difficult to gain new customers." A dramatic problem, confirms entrepreneur Alberto Cellino: "We move 12,500 semi-trailers a year, and the latest transport price increases weigh between 6,000 and 8,000 euros a day, impacting up to 12%." The EU, with its plan to compensate for territorial disadvantages, has opened a door that Sardinia can exploit. Only in this way can we overcome a problem that, as Sergio Zuncheddu, editor of L'Unione Sarda, recalled, "we've been carrying around since the 19th century, when there was only one monopoly company, and we still haven't solved."
Alessandra Ragas
