Bill on military polygons: Defence General Staff decides but Sardinia holds back

Defence and national security must be the exclusive responsibility of the State: any increased legislative autonomy of the regions cannot and must not automatically interfere with the State in the management of military sites, but the prior consent of the Defence General Staff will always be required. This is the substance of a Fratelli d'Italia bill, number 1887, being examined by the Chamber of Deputies' Defence Commission, which amends the Code of Military Order.

The principle is that everything concerning the Armed Forces and national defence is the exclusive competence of the State. In particular, with reference to military training and logistical activities as well as to the identification and management of military sites and polygons, the draft law provides that the environmental provisions of local authorities are to be exercised in a manner compatible with the requirements of national security and defence. It introduces an additional article in the Code of Military Order, stipulating that regional environmental provisions cannot affect military areas without the prior consent of the Defence General Staff.

Sardinia does not stand for it. At the centre of the dispute is the direct and disproportionate impact on Sardinian territory, which already hosts over 200 square kilometres of military servitudes distributed between Teulada, Perdasdefogu-Quirra and Capo Frasca. 'Sardinia cannot continue to pay the highest price without any institutional confrontation and without respect for its environmental specificity,' emphasises the regional councillor for the Defence of the Environment, Rosanna Laconi. Of particular concern are the provisions that will make regional environmental regulations subject to unilateral State assessments. Among the most critical aspects is the equating of military polygons with disused industrial sites, which would lead to higher contamination thresholds and less protection for the environment and public health. According to councillor Laconi, the extension of these rules to entire polygons would compromise any possibility of civil use of the land, wiping out any alternative prospect.

Alarm also for the provision requiring the Defence General Staff's authorisation for the introduction of environmental and landscape constraints by the regions. "An automatism that risks emptying the competences constitutionally guaranteed to local autonomies," adds Laconi. The Region is asking for substantial changes to the text: get rid of the rules that liken polygons to industrial sites, stop the limitations on regional competences and guarantees on institutional consultation. 'National security cannot be pursued at the expense of the environment and the rights of communities,' the councillor concluded.