Translated automatically by AI from the Italian original.
PRIOLO GARGALLO – Overcoming institutional divisions to build a shared strategy on the health, environmental and economic emergencies of the industrial hub. This is the goal of the institutional summit called for this afternoon, Thursday 5 November at 5pm, at Priolo Gargallo Municipality by mayor Pippo Gianni.
Attending the meeting will be the mayors of the councils in the AERCA (High Environmental Crisis Risk Area) and the mayors of the neighbouring councils of Carlentini and Sortino, to broaden the discussion table to the entire industrial district.
The reasons and themes at the heart of the summit
The call, which follows a letter sent by mayor Gianni in recent weeks, aims to define a united line of action towards the Region of Sicily and the national government on three fundamental pillars:
- Resources from tax revenue and compensation: Allocate a fixed share of the tax revenue generated by companies in the industrial zone to remediation investments and environmental compensation for the benefit of local residents.
- Health protection and prevention: Strengthen health monitoring and public prevention measures against diseases arising from industrial impact.
- Employment and industrial strategy: Address the dual emergency linked to the environmental burden and the persistent employment and economic crisis affecting the petrochemical sector.
Unity of intent and Priolo’s strategic importance
In his appeal to his fellow mayors, Pippo Gianni underlines the importance of overcoming institutional fragmentation, placing numerical data and the role of the Syracuse industrial hub in the national economy at the centre:
“Our area accounts for over 30% of the national refining capacity for petroleum products. In return for this fundamental contribution to Italy’s energy economy, our councils continue to suffer severe environmental and health impacts without an adequate compensation system. We must overcome divisions: the challenge ahead of us requires unity of intent, responsibility and a united vision that goes beyond individual municipal boundaries.”
From today’s meeting, a programme of concrete proposals will emerge that the councils in the industrial area will jointly present to regional and national decision-making bodies.
