Free Trieste

Recently, Ms. Francesca Adelaide Garufi, the Italian Government’s Commissioner, decided that the Northern sector of Trieste’s Free Port be removed from State property, turned to the Municipality, and then urbanized. Indeed, it is worth evaluating the economic impact of such a decision.

Because under international (and Italian!) law, the Italian authorities’ operation is absolutely illegal: the in question is a constrained sector of the international Free Port of Trieste, a State corporation of the Free Territory.

This is established under the 1947 Peace Treaty with Italy, in force. But has also been confirmed very recently, with UNSC document S/2015/809 of 23 October 2015.

The Free Territory of Trieste’s legal status is always the same; Italy cannot claim sovereignty over it, having lost it at the coming into force of the 1947 Peace Treaty.

Commissioner Garufi’s decision (as we wait for her decree to become public) is just one more piece of the Italian authorities’ “fait accompli” policy.

In other words: since it is impossible taking over the Free Territory of Trieste, because this would be too much of a breach of the rules-based international order, they try to dismember it, one step after another, from one decree to another. So far, the local authorities “turned” many of the Free Territory’s State properties into Italian State properties. Now they want to repeat the “trick” with the international Free Port.

Still, that is all legally null and void. A breach of the rules-based international order cannot have legal validity. And this is also true for the 1947 Treaty of Peace with Italy. Still, one should explain Italy. Because taking advantage of the international situation, of its complexity, its local authorities are running against time to complete the operation. An operation worth the Golden Age of Piracy.

Each and every of their attempts to remove the Northern Free Port of Trieste from State property will be faced with the power of the law, on all levels. Even the 1947 Treaty of Peace provides some, granting the rights of both the International community and the people of the Free Territory.

Still, it is worth evaluating what the authoritative Italian speculators hope to accomplish by occupying and annihilating one of Trieste’s port free trade zones.

It is the local City Council to explain it. Obvious enough, it’s been in first line promoting the operation that is well-liked across the whole “correct” corrupt political spectrum. This is a big business, and a big deal. One worth about EUR 1.5 billion.

Of course, whenever there is so much money on the plate, any opponent remains silent. And so, in a deafening silence (where is the allegedly legalitarian Movimento 5 Stelle?), the whole political spectrum marches off to the much longed-for partition. This deal is one offering plenty to catch for all.

According to Trieste’s City Council, the “Old Port” (as they dismiss the Northern Free Port) shall become a new city by the sea. Obviously after its removal from State property and urbanization. Houses, shops, malls, touristic marina, cultural centres. Whatever the “nice” speculators that smell of Mafia can imagine. They paint it as some “epoch marking” change, increasing the population by 100,000. A 50% increase, considering this old, decaying city currently has about 200,000.

Off with the free zones, in with a new Balkan Montecarlo. In with leisure-time activities, off with jobs and production. This is madness: this is how a society dies. Just imagine: if the huge real estate speculation in the Northern Free Port happens, the value of all Triestine properties (many already empty or vacant) falls by 50%. A huge blow for all real estate owners.

It wouldn’t be much better for companies either. All business activities would re-focus on the new urban area-former post. All little shops and malls in the “old” city would end up isolated, in crisis. You don’t make it to the new urban area? Then go out of business, and expatriate.

This is the Italian State’s goal: ultimately destroying Trieste and its economy. 100,000 new inhabitants – obviously from abroad – instead of the current population, driven to emigration. Where would the new inhabitants come from? What would they even do in a Trieste now deprived of all productive activities? Would they be rich pensioners from Europe, or poor immigrants from Africa, destined to slave-like exploitation? Is the new Trieste going to be a hospital-city or a refugee center?

This outrageous plan offers no future to Trieste and its people. Trieste would become a lab for the Italian mafias.

Translated from bog “Ambiente e Legalità” – “Environment and Legality” by Roberto Giurastante