Sicily rolls out €18 million forest restoration and other €800 million regional funding initiatives

The Sicilian regional government approved €18 million to restore forest areas destroyed by last year’s wildfires, funding 15 projects across municipalities for re‑vegetation, invasive‑species removal and ecological corridors.

University funding was increased by €556 million under the new Ordinary Funding Fund, with allocations of €224 million to the University of Palermo, €183 million to the University of Catania and €149.5 million to the University of Messina.

A separate €167 million programme targets the island’s agri‑food sector, supporting processing plants, quality‑label projects and diversification of farm income.

The European Regional Development Fund granted €1.877 million to the Siracusa municipality for the coastal “Arenella” restoration project, aiming to restore Mediterranean scrub, remove invasive species and improve water management.

The Ministry of the Interior cancelled €44 million of urban‑regeneration projects in Sicily, affecting towns such as Palermo, Agrigento and Monreale.

Data from First Cisl’s banking‑desertification observatory show that about one million Sicilian residents have little access to bank branches, while in Calabria 301 of 404 communes lack any banking outlet, raising concerns about economic exclusion.