Concrete Issues: The Battle Over Building Concessions in Sicily

 In the wild landscape of Sicilian construction, a double threat looms over a territory already scarred by illegal building activities.

In recent hours, Italy's Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Matteo Salvini, has brought up a classic pre-budget debate - that of building amnesty, which injects resources into public coffers. An idea met with staunch opposition, labeling it a "crime-inducing" proposal as it could encourage further abuses.

However, even before Salvini's proposition, a local politician in scorching Sicilian summer has been pushing strongly for yet another amnesty for houses built along the coast.

This amnesty is concealed within the draft law "Provisions on urban planning and construction," under discussion in the Environment, Territory, and Mobility Committee since June 13.

Inserted into this law through an amendment submitted on July 11, was Giorgio Assenza, the leader of Giorgia Meloni's party, Fratelli d'Italia. The amendment proposes the regularization of building abuses committed between 1978 and 1985 within 150 meters from the coast. This law would affect 200 thousand buildings. The rule has currently been "frozen" amidst opposition protests, but Assenza is pushing for it once again.

On September 13, a provision was approved in the committee that will allow for the demolition and reconstruction of properties, increasing their volume by 30%. Another provision will enable those with a house awaiting regularization to carry out works within, duly authorized by the municipalities. Technically termed jurisprudential amnesty, it does not annul the penal effects of the abuse.
Governor Musumeci's administration had already attempted this with the reform passed in 2020. At the time, the rule was approved despite the opposition of the M5s. Predictably, it was challenged by the Council of Ministers and rejected by the Constitutional Court.

After the committee vote, the Sicilian Regional Assembly will discuss the new building amnesty.

This is a battle that Assenza does not want to relinquish. "This is the third time I've presented this rule. I'm trying again because we're talking about an injustice that concerns a specific type of property, entangled in a web of rules and rulings that over time have created this uniquely Sicilian anomaly."

Salvini from Rome, Assenza from Palermo, are attempting to close in on the building amnesty like a pair of pliers. Sicily is one of the regions with the highest number of illegal constructions along its coast, and it grapples with significant hydrogeological instability, often caused by excessive urbanization. It's also among the regions lagging behind in demolishing illegal buildings. In Sicily, from 2004 (the year of the last building amnesty) to 2020, only 20% of the illegal buildings subject to demolition orders were actually torn down.

Environmentalists rise up against these attempts. The WWF, led by its Sicilian representative, Pietro Ciulla, is unequivocal in dismissing any attempt at amnesty. On the contrary, "demolitions are necessary to protect the environment." As they've explained in various ways, land consumption is detrimental to hydrogeological stability and contributes to the devastating effects of climate change.