The second budget bill of the legislature has been approved. Only the majority participated in the vote (31 in favor) . The minority was absent , openly protesting "the treatment we and the Sardinians received at the hands of Labor Councilor Desirè Manca."
The approval comes on the penultimate day available to avoid a second month of provisional budgeting. The value of the €11.6 billion package, almost entirely tied up , means the Council could do little to change the text.
However, important changes are coming, starting with the increase of ten million euros in the single fund for local authorities over three years: from 570 to 670 million . Other significant measures include the ten million euros allocated at the center-right's request to establish a fund for damage caused by severe weather; and the implementation of the Buggerru Pact on workplace safety, with five million euros .
The absence of Labor Councilor Desirè Manca was a coincidence, prompting the opposition to walk out of the chamber. One of the last items on the agenda was labor, but Manca, busy at a conference in Oristano, did not show up.
"There is a serious lack of respect on the part of the councilor. For days we have been asking her to come to the Chamber to present the article, and she has been busy with other matters for days . Being a councilor doesn't mean traveling the world or making videos on social media. It is unacceptable that the councilor is not present during a discussion on the budget made possible by the minority's responsibility. And it is unacceptable that the majority continues anyway," declared the FdI group leader Paolo Truzzu .
The Budget Councillor
For Giuseppe Meloni, Councillor for the Budget , "it was important to avoid the second month of provisional budgeting to allow the regional budget to be operational: we no longer have to work in twelfths and payments are released, everything can function smoothly and now we are preparing to tackle the three-year budget adjustment, which is the heart of the legislative budget." The key points of the budget are "the confirmation of what we had established on education, universities, and social assistance."
Meloni also spoke of the crucial support for local authorities "with the multi-year increase in the single fund, a crucial response to what local authorities themselves have been demanding for years." Third, the world of investments: "Allocating several tens of millions is important. Now we can move forward with other targeted and well-calibrated policies that we can implement in a variety of ways and will be crucial for the entire legislature." As for the center-right's abandonment of the chamber: "There was some tension after intense days that sometimes ended late into the night; misunderstandings can arise. But I don't want to forget the opposition's contribution, and I believe the €10 million intervention following hurricane Harry speaks volumes about the attention the majority has paid to the minority."
The governor
"This is a budget of over eleven billion, which includes approximately four billion for healthcare, so there's a strong focus on what Sardinians consider most important. Furthermore, there are nine hundred million for transportation and significant resources for jobs, economic development, and education." This was stated by Regional President Alessandra Todde after the budget was approved. She also touched on the increase in the single fund for local authorities, obtained thanks to a bipartisan agreement: "A very clear indication of what the Region wants to do, aware that it is the municipalities that make the spending, and therefore must have the resources and tools to provide services to citizens. They are the first interface." Then, "the allocation of ten million for the damage caused by Cyclone Harry, in addition to the five.5 million from the Regional Council and the thirty-three million allocated by the Government. " Regarding the Desirè Manca case: "His move was expected; he had been planning the labor conference for many months, so he had already asked to arrive in accordance with his opening remarks."