Translated automatically by AI from the Italian original.
Sicily is growing, but deep structural weaknesses remain. This is the picture from the SVIMEZ 2026 report, presented in Rome, which forecasts a 0.6% GDP rise for the island in 2026 and a 3.1% increase in investment. These positive signs, however, do not erase the difficulties facing industry, agriculture and construction, nor do they address territorial imbalances and the steady population decline.
Commenting on the figures is Giuseppe Carta, member of the Sicilian Regional Assembly and chair of its IV Environment, Territory and Mobility Committee, who stresses the need to turn economic growth into quality employment and better public services for citizens.
“Sicily is growing, but that is not enough. We cannot be satisfied with growth that does not create quality jobs, efficient services and a better quality of life,” Carta said, highlighting above all the gap between the island’s potential and the still inadequate opportunities offered to younger generations.
According to the politician, as the boost from Italy’s EU-funded recovery plan (PNRR) gradually fades, it will be necessary to focus on infrastructure, innovation, administrative capacity and a long-term industrial and environmental policy, to avoid investments yielding only short-term results.
Particular attention is paid to the province of Syracuse, cited as emblematic of the challenges of development. From the industrial and energy hub to the port system, from agri-food to tourism, and from archaeological and environmental heritage, Carta identifies the integrated enhancement of local resources as the way to strengthen competitiveness.
“We must not choose between industry and the environment, between development and identity. We must build an economy in which sustainability is a factor of competitiveness,” he said.
Among the priorities he lists are mobility, port infrastructure, water resources, environmental regeneration and strategic infrastructure, through stable collaboration between the regional government, municipalities, businesses and the research sector.
