RENEWAL OF THE SUSPENSION OF THE FREE ZONE IN THE NORTHERN FREE PORT
It happened again. The Italian establishment’s attempts to annihilate Trieste cannot spare its port. They do it with the usual, yearly, unlawful decree. Commissar of the Italian Government, F. A. Garufi confirmed the suspension of the free zone regime in the so-called “Old Port”, the Northern Port of Trieste.
All while the Italian Government plans a new free zone in Venice. The strategy is clear. Dismissing the International Free Port of Trieste and transferring, illegally, its precious free zones to a competing Italian port.
The Northern Free Port is not old and useless.
This decision is a serious hit to Trieste’s already precarious economy. In 2013 many people have lost their jobs, and more are going to follow suit in 2014. Still, the local authorities, instead of protecting Trieste’s citizens, filled with collaborationist spirit, pursue the insane project to destroy the “old port” turning it in an urban area.
The Commissioner of Government issued her decree on January 8th. Immediately, the Municipality’s ruling center-left coalition (the PD – Italian Democratic Party first in line) drafted a new City Masterplan.
And, of course, the Masterplan’s core is the Old Port’s illegal urbanization.
The PD’s main political battle is promoting the housing speculation in the Northern Free Port, but the project is endorsed across-the-board. The Mafia of concrete sure promised a lot of money in exchange for this unity.
This year the Commissioner of Government has paralyzed the Northern Free Port for a reason that exemplifies the ongoing illegality: the Northern Free Port remains suspended until December 31st, 2014 for “the Institute of Maritime-Port Culture of Trieste’s didactic-training and museum activities” as part of “Expo 2014’s preliminary organization”.
A couple minutes on the internet reveal that this “important” event is the fair of coffee: the event lasts October 23rd to October 25th, attracting about 100,000 visitors. That’s it. A three day seems enough to justify paralyzing the Northern Free Port for one whole year. A precious Free Port which would provide thousand os jobs, if only is was properly administered.
Trieste’s future:
Every year, the local Italian authorities make up a new excuse to claim that using the free zones of an international Free Port of Trieste is impossible. But that Port does not belong to Italy: it belongs to the Free Territory of Trieste.
In the past 17 years, excuse after excuse, Rome and its loyal local bodies are preventing the development of both the Free Territory of Trieste and its international Free Port of Trieste, leaving them to bleed beneath the heel of a mafia-like administration.
Trieste’s future, the only way for this Free State and its international Free Port to survive, is the re-establishment of the rule of law. It is their independence from Italy.
Translated from blog “Ambiente e Legalità” – “Environment and Legality” by Roberto Giurastante