An increasingly old and deserted island, very far from the values (economic and not only) of the European Union, dependent on public investments and hand in glove with the performance of the "locomotive" Italy, of which it represents only a small carriage, unable to go against the trend.

In the 30th Crenos Report on the Sardinian economy - presented in Cagliari this morning - the only flame of hope comes from tourism: in 2022 attendances and arrivals returned to the pre-Covid level. Waste management also did well: separate waste collection rose to 74.9%, against the national average of 64%. The island is the second Italian region after Veneto for the percentage of separate waste collection.

Healthcare is bad. A collapse summed up in a statistic: 18% of citizens give up - for various reasons - treatment. It is the worst figure in Italy.

«What is the synthesis? The glass is almost empty», said the scientific coordinator of the 30th report Raffaele Paci, «but we must also give a positive message: Sardinia has the potential to break the vicious circle of underdevelopment, but we need to change course».

In terms of research and innovation, as well as education, the island continues to be one of the last regions in Europe for funding (about a quarter of the average European expenditure), which is decreasing and in contrast with the rest of the European regions . Between 2016 and 2020 there was a worsening of spending on Research and Development, going from 28% to 26% of the European average.

Employment: the main indicators of the labor market place Sardinia "in a position of disadvantage compared to the national average but better than what emerges overall in the South", reads the report. In 2022 the employment and unemployment rates are respectively equal to 54.9% and 11.5%.

Finally, the entrepreneurial structure: Exports are recovering: 85% are made up of petroleum products.