On May 3 at 11 the Regional Council will discuss the situation of Sardinian airports: a session scheduled after the request of the majority group leaders, made following the hearing of the Councilor for Transport Antonio Moro in the Fourth Commission.
"There is a need for a public debate on the merger of the management companies of the Olbia and Alghero airports and on the privatization project of the Cagliari airport - explained the exponents of the majority - operations on which clarity is needed ".
Even Moro himself agreed on the desirability of a debate: " On 21 March last, with a real blitz, the merger of the airports in northern Sardinia took place - stated the commissioner - an operation that the Region does not agree with, the fund investment F2i acted unilaterally, there was no confrontation. The rumored privatization of Cagliari airport and its merger with Olbia and Alghero would deprive the Region of any supervisory, control and planning role in an important matter such as transport, which is decisive for the island's development projects".
With the merger of the three management companies, the weight of the public hand would be reduced to almost zero. The marriage between Olbia and Alghero has reduced the regional stake to 2.9 percent. If the merger with Cagliari were to materialize, where today the public presence is predominant, the result would be the same with the Region relegated to a role of pure testimony: « Delivering the access keys to Sardinia to a private investment fund which aims to maximizing profits to remunerate investors' capital is in clear contradiction with the aims of regional policy - underlined Moro - the Region has a duty to guarantee the right to mobility of Sardinians and aim at increasing passenger traffic for the growth of island economy".
In the meantime, the Cagliari airport privatization project will be discussed tomorrow at the Sogaer shareholders' meeting. F2i has already started analyzing the activities of the airport management company: "We have doubts about the legitimacy of an operation that excludes a public tender - continued Moro - that all this takes place in the silence of politics is more harmful there can be".
However, concern was also expressed by the minority councilors Maria Laura Orrù and Roberto Li Gioi: « We need a passage to the Council - they pointed out - on this matter there is a clear responsibility of the Region, in particular of President Solinas. This merger had been talked about for some time, when F2i's proposal arrived, its representative on the board of directors abstained. It is a very serious fact. The development of the island cannot be delegated to third parties. It is the total failure of politics ».
And from the majority, for the group leader of FdI Fausto Piga: « This operation was conducted in the dark. At stake is the future of Sardinian airports and the development of the island ». For Marco Tedde (FI): «The Region cannot be sidelined. President Solinas must demand a written commitment from F2i. The public interest (right to mobility and development of the Sardinian economy) cannot be ignored. The Council takes a decision in the interest of the Sardinians».
Position shared by the leader of the League Michele Ennas, promoter of yesterday's meeting in the Commission: "It is more urgent than ever to invest the Council with the question to understand if the merger project is now irreversible or if the Region can still have its say".
(Unioneonline/ss)