In the midst of the most serious political crisis that has hit Mayor Beppe Sala since he took office at Palazzo Marino, the national and city branches of the Democratic Party are closing ranks around the mayor. While acknowledging – in the words of metropolitan secretary Alessandro Capelli in Corriere Milano on March 9 – that “new answers are necessary.” So much so that the majority party, in order to revitalize the administrative action in the remaining two years that now seem endless, has decided to establish a “committee” that should support the council, “representing the civic, social, and economic forces of the city and together with the administration, confront how to respond to today’s challenges.” However, according to the opposition, there is no more time for these responses. Yesterday, Guido Bardelli officially resigned from his position, the “technical” Housing Councillor caught up – as a non-investigated party – in the legal battle between the prosecutor and the Municipality over the alleged irregularities in dozens of urban regeneration sites in Milan. But the resignations that the center-right is calling for are those of the mayor, so that the voters can have a say immediately. Among them is Matteo Forte, regional councilor of Brothers of Italy and president of the II Institutional Affairs Committee of the Pirellone, who was a city councilor in Milan for 12 years.
In a recent intervention, you stated that “in the homeland of Tangentopoli, a political matter is transformed into a criminal one.” What does this mean?
It means a very simple thing, namely that if local rules are shown to be in contradiction with national ones, the problem is political, not criminal. It requires a legislative intervention to harmonize. It is no different from what we do periodically in the Commission I chair: twice a year, we examine and approve an “ordinance” to align existing regional laws with new national regulations.
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But why bring up Tangentopoli?
My reasoning is based on the fundamental principle of the separation of powers and goes beyond any judgments on the work of the investigators. When those who are not elected by citizens pursue issues of general interest, they inevitably have effects on the community, for which they do not then answer to the citizens, unlike those who, after being voted in, can always be delegitimized at the polls and replaced by the same voters. In everything that is happening in urban planning in Milan, it should not be forgotten, for example, that hundreds of families have invested a large part of their savings in preliminary purchase agreements and are now, on one hand, unable to move into their new home and, on the other hand, cannot look for an alternative because they have already made ongoing investments.
Do you think the judiciary is wrong?
Again, I do not delve into the specifics of any investigation. Of course not. I simply reiterate that the procedures that are generally contested are those that – right or wrong as they may be – the Municipality has adopted over the years, also relying on established administrative case law on the matter. But let me tell you more. There is a circular from 2020 that provides an official interpretation of building renovation, including – I quote verbatim – “the demolition and reconstruction of existing buildings with different shapes, facades, footprints, and plan-volumetric and typological characteristics.” That is precisely what is being challenged in Milan today. The circular was signed by the then Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Paola De Micheli, and the Minister of Public Administration, Fabiana Dadone. They are reportedly members of the Democratic Party and the Five Star Movement.
And then?
So, apparently, during the Conte government, the yellow-red government, it was acceptable that to transform a property, perhaps disused, into a new building, all that was needed was the Municipality’s issuance of a “SCIA,” a simplified tool for renovations with even structural modifications to existing buildings. If this is no longer acceptable, it should be politically contested and regulated differently. But it is clear that it is easier to ride the wave of judicial investigations, otherwise the Democratic Party and the Five Star Movement should explain to everyone why they are contesting what they themselves endorsed when they were in power. And let me add another political consideration…
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Go ahead.
The entire center-right, and especially Brothers of Italy with Tommaso Foti, then the rapporteur in the Chamber of the so-called “Save Milan,” simply took on the responsibility of harmonizing existing regulations with established administrative procedures, and postponing to a later and more comprehensive legislative update in the sector. They did not intend to “fix” anything, as has been incorrectly claimed. The recent attack by Elly Schlein, therefore, in which she uses the wiretaps leaked to the press to claim that the center-right is involved in shady dealings, is pure scavenging that must be rejected.
According to the Secretary of the Democratic Party, there would be nothing to blame the Sala administration for.
On the contrary, we in Brothers of Italy believe that the mayor bears serious responsibilities and for this reason, we demand his resignation. But once again, for political reasons, not judicial ones.
Can you summarize?
The numbers reveal it in a harsh way. The real estate market has gone crazy in recent years with price increases of over 40%, which have not been matched by income growth. At the same time, unlike what happened with the center-right administrations, social housing construction has stopped, which had proven very useful for young couples and those wanting to start a family, dropping from 37% of the total in 2015 to the current 9%. All of this did not happen by chance, but due to specific choices made by the two administrations led by Beppe Sala.
What choices?
The left has sacrificed social housing to fixed percentages in the Territorial Government Plan, which, however, did not stand up to the reality test. In this way, the Municipality has not countered the “expensive brick” over the years, ending up favoring only land and real estate speculation. At the beginning of the mayor’s second term, Assolombarda calculated that after Expo, the city had undoubtedly become richer, but a third of that wealth ended up in the hands of just 9% of Milanese. In Milan, housing has become the main factor of social inequality. Paradoxically, the left has contributed to increasing the differences between those who have and those who do not. It is a resounding failure, of which Sala himself, who until yesterday boasted of transforming the city into one of the most attractive metropolises in Europe, must take note. But what kind of city model has been pursued by the center-left administrations? A city model where working is no longer enough to live. A city that expels the middle class. Forget about the welcoming, inclusive city capable of giving everyone an opportunity. In this, the Milanese left is certainly representative of the global left, now only representing elites and the chic radicals.
Agreed, but these are arguments for the next election campaign. Why should the mayor step down now?
Because the city is paralyzed. Almost half of real estate investments nationwide are blocked. Some time ago, over 140 urban planning employees wrote to Sala asking to be reassigned to other areas of the administration. The mayor himself had stated that either the “Save Milan” was approved or there were no longer conditions to move forward. Abandoned by his own majority, he now asks not to vote on that interpretative provision in the Senate anymore. Sala is now obstructing the resolution of the problems afflicting Milan. The logical next step, for which he must take responsibility, is to free Palazzo Marino and let the voters have their say again. Otherwise, he will hold the city hostage for another two years. Sala’s resignation today is the “Save Milan” we need.
