Calogero Mannino warns of Sicily's thirty‑year governance crisis
Former minister Calogero Mannino, a leading figure of the former Democrazia Cristiana, criticised the regional government of Sicily, describing a thirty‑year period of errors that have left the island’s territory abandoned. He said the lack of a strategic vision has turned Sicily from a single island into a fragmented “archipelago” of administrative units.
Mannino highlighted several structural failures: the regional forestry body was transferred to the Carabinieri, stripping it of its technical role, and the Azienda Regionale delle Foreste was abolished without a replacement. He warned that decades of neglect in forest maintenance have caused a surge in wildfires that have devastated thousands of hectares. He also described the Ente Acque Siciliane (EAS) being replaced in the 2000s by a French private water operator, leading to inadequate water management and infrastructure decay.
Specific environmental impacts were noted, such as the coastal erosion at Sciacca that has lost at least three metres of shoreline. Despite the grave situation, Mannino insisted the errors are “not irredeemable” and suggested that state‑controlled entities like Cassa Depositi e Prestiti could provide needed investment for water and land management.
Entities: Azienda Regionale delle Foreste · Calogero Mannino · Cassa Depositi e Prestiti · Ente Acque Siciliane (EAS) · Sicily
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Coastal erosion at Sciacca has removed at least three metres of shoreline. (Mannino)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Mannino said the errors in Sicily’s governance are not irredeemable. (Mannino)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Mannino suggested that Cassa Depositi e Prestiti could be an alternative source of investment for water management. (Mannino)
- [● 2 SOURCES] The regional forestry body was transferred to the Carabinieri, reducing its technical function. (Mannino)
- [● 2 SOURCES] Decades of neglect in forest maintenance have caused a surge in wildfires that have devastated thousands of hectares. (Mannino)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Calogero Mannino said Sicily has experienced thirty years of errors in governance. (Mannino)
- [● 2 SOURCES] The Ente Acque Siciliane (EAS) was replaced in the 2000s by a French private water company. (Mannino)
- [● 2 SOURCES] The Azienda Regionale delle Foreste was abolished without a replacement. (Mannino)