The battle of the Villaggio Pescatori di Giorgino neighborhood committee, against the construction of the LNG regasification plant about 400 meters from the village's homes, continues: today it obtained a point in its favor directly from Strasbourg. The European Court of Human Rights has acquired the appeal presented last August 5: it will examine it shortly, even if there is still no certain date, with all the documents and information provided . It was not a foregone conclusion: most of the complaints are declared inadmissible and do not pass the first phase.
"It is a significant step forward," says the committee's president, Mariano Strazzeri. "The fact that the European Court, which certainly does not accept all appeals, has decided to do so on this one means that it has found some problems and an acknowledgement of fraud. It does not mean that the regasification plant will be rejected from today, but some shortcomings and limitations have been identified in this project ."
The appeal, technically, is against the decree of the Ministry of Ecological Transition of March 24, 2021, where a positive judgment was given of environmental compatibility for the regasification plant project that should be built on the outskirts of Cagliari. The committee, represented by the lawyer Andrea Mensi (professor of international law at the University of Bologna), points out that the plant would be built less than 400 meters from his home and the village, with obvious health risks and in contrast with what happens in Europe where they are positioned several kilometers from inhabited centers .
"It is possible that we will have a debate in the coming weeks, to discuss it and involve the local authorities: I will talk about it with the committee", Strazzeri anticipates on future developments, awaiting the examination of the merits that could take place just after the end-of-year holidays. The regasification plant, a 120 million euro project by Sardinia Lng, would allow Cagliari and its hinterland to replace propane air with LNG: the authorization process began in June 2017 and all that is missing is the green light from the Region, so much so that Sardinia Lng has sent a formal notice, while in parallel the inhabitants of Villaggio Pescatori have immediately shown their concerns and started the battle to defend their territory . The committee chaired by Strazzeri, before turning to the European Court, had done so at the TAR and the Council of State, but their complaints were rejected.
