Saturday’s consistory, during which Pope Francis is set to create thirteen new cardinals, provides us with an opportunity to dig into our archives in search of popular “Latin Lover”, Carmelite Father Reginald Foster’s linguistic expertise.
In a conversation with Veronica Scarisbrick, the Latinist explains how some of the vocabulary surrounding consistories derives from the Latin, including the word cardinal: “Cardinals are the hinges on which the Church revolves…”; we say “to create cardinals” because the word creare means to appoint them…”
Listen to the podcast, presented and produced by Veronica Scarisbrick, in which Father Foster describes the linguistic origin “of all things consistory”, including the red hat:
Listen to Veronica Scarisbrick and Fr Reginald Foster talk about the linguistic origin of “all things consistory”
Technically the UK has left the European Union, but from the traveller’s point of view, nothing significant has changed during the transition phase. This comes to an end at 11pm GMT (midnight Western European Time) on 31 December 2020.
After that, life for British visitors to the EU becomes very different. The one exception is for Ireland, where very little changes: notably customs and motor insurance rules.
For everywhere else in Europe, these are the most critical changes.
Even if you have a burgundy passport with “European Union” on the cover, it will continue to be valid as a UK travel document. The problem is, from 1 January 2021, European rules on passport validity become much tougher.Read more
On the day of travel to the EU (as well as non-members Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland and the plucky Vatican City) your passport must pass two tests.
1. Was it issued less than nine years, six months ago?
2. Does it have six months’ validity remaining.
The reason: the UK has traditionally given renewals up to nine months’ extra validity in addition to the normal 10 years. So a passport issued on 30 June 2011 could show an expiry date of 30 March 2022.
While this was fine when the UK was part of the European Union, British travellers must now meet the strict rules on passport validity for visitors from “third countries”.
In particularly, passports issued by non-member countries are regarded as expired once they have been valid for 10 years.
While the expiry date printed in the passport remains valid for the UK and other non-EU countries around the world, within the European Union the issue date is critical.
A passport issued on 30 June 2011 is regarded by the EU as expiring on 30 June 2021. Therefore if the holder attempted to board a plane to the European Union on New Year’s Day 2021, it would be considered to have insufficient validity and the airline would be obliged to turn them away – even though the British passport has almost 15 months to run.
Until September 2018, the government appeared unaware of the problem. Once the issue was identified, the practice of giving up to nine months’ grace ended abruptly.
Border formalities
EU fast-track lanes for passport control will no longer be open to British travellers, although countries that receive a large number of visitors from the UK, such as Spain and Portugal, may make special arrangements.
The process is likely to be slower, and with no guarantee of entry.
At present, all a border official can do is to check that the travel document is valid, and that it belongs to you.
From 1 January 2021, the official is required by EU law to conduct deeper checks. They may ask for the purpose of the visit, where you plan to travel and stay, how long you intend to remain in the EU and how you propose to fund your stay.
Length of stay
From 1 January 2021, the “90/180 rule” takes effect. For holidaymakers and business travellers who normally stay a long time in Europe, it has significant effects. You may stay only 90 days (about three months) in any 180 (six months).
Example: if you spend January, February and March in the EU – totalling 90 days – you must leave the zone before 1 April and cannot return until 30 June.
You will then be able to spend the summer in Europe until 27 September, when you must leave again – and can’t come back until Boxing Day.
Any time spent in the EU up to the end of 2020 does not count. So if you spend December in Spain, the clock does not start ticking until New Year’s Day.
The UK government says: “Different rules will apply to Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Romania. If you visit these countries, visits to other EU countries will not count towards the 90-day total.”
British citizens can stay as long as they like in the Republic of Ireland.
People who have a work or residential visa for a specific EU country will be treated differently.
Visas
Initially they will not be needed, but from 2022 (or possibly later) British visitors will need to register online and pay in advance for an “Etias“ permit under the European Travel Information and Authorisation System.
Brexit briefing: How long until the end of the transition period?
Returning to the UK
Previously there were no limits on the value of goods you could bring in from European Union nations. From the start of 2021, the European Union will be treated the same as the rest of the world – which means that there are now strict limits on what you can bring back free of duty.
For alcohol, the limits are 4 litres of spirits or 9 litres of sparkling wine, 18 litres of still wine and 16 litres of beer, which hopefully will see you through at least an evening. Arrivals to the UK will also qualify to bring in 200 duty-free cigarettes.
“Anything that increases the availability of tobacco is a negative step for public health,” the British Medical Association says.
If you exceed any of these limits, you will pay tax on the whole lot.
There is a limit of €430 – roughly £400 – for all other goods, from Camembert to clothing.
Health care
For more than 40 years, British travellers have benefited from free or very low-cost medical treatment in the EU and its predecessor organisations. The European Health Insurance Card (Ehic) and the document it replaced, the E111, have proved extremely valuable for many elderly travellers, and/or people with pre-existing medical conditions.
Since the EU referendum, the government has repeatedly said that it hopes to establish a reciprocal health treaty mirroring the European Health Insurance Card (Ehic).
For example, the then-health minister, Stephen Hammond, said: “The department recognises that people with some pre-existing conditions rely on the Ehic to be able to travel.”
The pretence has now been dropped, and the government now says: “You should always get appropriate travel insurance with healthcare cover before you go abroad.
“It’s particularly important you get travel insurance with the right cover if you have a pre-existing medical condition.”
The Association of British Insurers warns: “Claims costs within Europe are currently reduced due to the presence of the Ehic, which covers some or all state-provided medical costs.
“In the absence of the Ehic or similar reciprocal health agreement, insurers will inevitably see an increase in claims costs – this could have a direct impact on the prices charged to consumers.”
One bit of latitude: if you enter an EU country by 31 December 2020, your Ehic will remain valid until you leave that country.
Driving licences
Your licence carries the EU symbol but, as with passports, will still be valid as a UK document from 2021 until its expiry date.
The government says: “You may need extra documents from 1 January 2021. You might need an international driving permit (IDP) to drive in some countries.”
In fact, you may need two. A 1949 IDP (valid one year) is required for Spain, Cyprus and Malta, while the 1968 version (valid three years) is valid everywhere else in the EU.
The IDP is an antiquated document available at larger post offices. Take your driving licence plus a passport photo and £5.50 for each permit that you need.
Motor insurance
Under the European Union 2009 motor insurance directive, any vehicle legally insured in one EU country can be driven between other European nations on the same policy.
From 1 January you will need a “Green Card” – an official, multilingual translation of your car insurance that demonstrate you meet the minimum cover requirements for the country you’re visiting.
Insurers will generally provide them free of charge, but require around two weeks’ notice.
Flights
At present, there is no legal agreement for any flights between the UK and the European Union from 1 January 2021.
The transport secretary, Grant Shapps, says: “The government’s priority is to ensure that flights can continue to operate safely, securely and punctually between the UK/EU at the end of transition period, regardless of the outcome of negotiations.
“Air travel is vital for both the UK and the EU in connecting people and facilitating trade and tourism, and we are confident measures will be in place to allow for continued air connectivity beyond the end of 2020.”
Some UK airport disruption caused by tough new passport rules may occur in the first few days if significant numbers of British travellers are denied boarding.
Ferries/Eurotunnel
Ships will continue to sail and trains will continue to run, but the National Audit Office (NAO) warns that motorists taking their cars to France on ferries from Dover or Eurotunnel from Folkestone face waits of up to two hours once the Brexit transition ends – and that queues could be “much longer” in summer.
Eurostar
Passenger trains linking London St Pancras with Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam will continue to run – but because of travel restrictions applied in response to the coronavirus pandemic, services are currently extremely limited.
Mobile phones
From 1 January 2021, the EU-wide ban on roaming charges for phone calls and internet use no longer applies to people with UK mobile phones. Providers will be free to impose whatever fees they wish.
But all the big providers have told The Independent they do not intend to bring back roaming charges.
O2 says: “We’re committed to providing our customers with great connectivity and value when they travel outside the UK. We currently have no plans to change our roaming services across Europe, maintaining our ‘Roam Like At Home’ arrangements.”
3 says: “We’ll give you free EU roaming just the same.”
EE says: “Our customers enjoy inclusive roaming in Europe and beyond, and we don’t have any plans to change this based on the Brexit outcome. So our customers going on holiday and travelling in the EU will continue to enjoy inclusive roaming.”
Vodafone says: “We have no plans to reintroduce roaming charges after Brexit.”
Should these or other providers introduce roaming charges, the government says it will cap the maximum for mobile data usage while abroad at £49 per month unless the user positively agrees to pay more.
Pets
For many years British travellers have been able to take a cat, a dog or even a ferret abroad with minimal formalities.
The government says it is “working with the European Commission to ensure a similar arrangement for pet travel between Great Britain and the EU from 1 January 2021.
“However, if an agreement is not reached there could be new requirements in place for those travelling with a pet from Great Britain to the EU from 1 January 2021.”
The hope is that the UK will become a “Part 1 listed country” under the Pet Travel Scheme. This would be the least bad option compared with what we have now.
But the issue is still not settled, so for now we have to assume the worst – that the UK will be “unlisted”. In that case, your pet must have a blood sample taken at least 30 days after its primary rabies vaccination. That sample will be sent to an EU-approved blood testing laboratory.
Then, you must “wait three months from the date the successful blood sample was taken before you can travel,” according to the government.
So if you start the process on 1 January 2021, you should be able to take a pet abroad from 1 May 2021.
One thing we do know: coming home will be no different. “There will be no change to the current health preparations for pets entering Great Britain from the EU from 1 January 2021,” says the government.
On 26 November, the European Parliament adopted an urgency resolution highlighting “The deteriorating human rights situation in Algeria, in particular the case of journalist Khaled Drareni,” who was sentenced to two years in prison on 15 September 2020. Proposed by six out of the seven political groups, the resolution signals a broad agreement across the political spectrum. The undersigned national and international civil society organizations consider its adoption to be a timely and much needed step to address the escalating crackdown on civil society, peaceful activists, artists, journalists, and the independence of the judiciary.
The adopted text recalls the EP’s urgency resolution from 28 November 2019 on the situation of civic freedoms in Algeria, and expresses solidarity with “all Algerian citizens – women and men, from diverse geographic, socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds – who have been peacefully demonstrating since February 2019”. It highlights that “in 2020 women’s rights movements have intensified in their denunciation of the increasing violence against women” and have called for “the review of existing laws in order to guarantee full equality.”
Ankara considers the resolution of the European Parliament regarding Turkey and the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to be biased, said Turkish MFA spokesman Hami Aksoy.
The European Parliament adopted a resolution on Thursday calling for sanctions on Turkey because of its position on the Cyprus issue.
According to him, such a position does not serve the EU interests, the improvement of its relations with Turkey, and the settlement of the Cyprus issue, RIA Novosti reported.
Turkey will continue to resolutely defend both its own and the Turkish community’s rights, not succumbing to threats and blackmail and continuing its efforts for dialogue, Aksoy added.
President Trump deserves thanks for appointing three conservative Supreme Court justices , each of whom ruled this week in favor of religious groups and against New York government officials seeking to curb congregation sizes at religious services, a key supporter of the president wrote on Thanksgiving Day.
The Rev. Franklin Graham, son of the late Rev. Billy Graham and himself a spiritual adviser to several U.S. presidents as head of Billy Graham Ministries, wrote on Twitter that he was “thankful for President @realDonald Trump’s appointment of 3 conservative #SCOTUS justices who ruled last night in favor of churches & against gov’t overreach in the state of New York.”
In another tweet, the 68-year-old Graham posted a quote from Trump-appointed Justice Neil Gorsuch’s decision in the 5-4 case, in which Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the court’s liberals.
“It is time … to make plain that, while the pandemic poses many grave challenges, there is no world in which the Constitution tolerates color-coded executive edicts that reopen liquor stores & bike shops but shutter churches, synagogues, & mosques,” Graham quoted from Gorsuch’s writing.
The Rev. Franklin Graham, son of the late evangelical Christian leader Billy Graham, is seen in Washington, Aug. 27, 2020. (Getty Images)
On Wednesday night, the high court blocked New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo from reimposing strict attendance caps at worship services in areas hit hard by the novel coronavirus.
The court ruled 5-4 to bar Cuomo from enforcing his Oct. 6 “Cluster Initiative” against houses of worship that sued to challenge the restrictions.
The order was also the first in which Justice Amy Coney Barrett played a decisive role. Barrett, who was President Trump’s third Supreme Court nominee, joined the court Oct. 27, after winning Senate confirmation following the Sept. 18 death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
In addition to Gorsuch and Barrett, Trump also appointed Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas — conservatives who were appointed before Trump took office — also sided with the majority opinion.
In the dissenting opinion, Roberts and the three liberals — Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Stephen Breyer — asserted that the court had acted rashly.
The order was aimed at worship services at some synagogues and Roman Catholic churches in parts of Brooklyn and Queens in New York City, Bloomberg News reported.
In the hardest-hit areas of the city, which were designated red zones, the state limited attendance in houses of worship to 25% of their capacity or 10 people, whichever is fewer. The majority said Cuomo’s limits violated the First Amendment’s protection of the free exercise of religion.
The ruling was seen as a reversal from earlier actions taken during the pandemic this year by the high court in response to state restrictions on organized religion, reports said. The justices previously refused to lift restrictions on churches in California and Nevada.
The European Parliament has a chance to help free Europe’s regions from fossil fuels and support the creation of sustainable jobs.
On the week of 14 September, the European Parliament has a chance to help free Europe’s regions from fossil fuels and support the creation of sustainable jobs. MEPs will vote in plenary on the EUR17.5 billion Just Transition Fund, which aims to support EU regions such as the coal regions of Southwest Bulgaria’s and the Jiu Valley of Romania in their transition to climate neutrality.
The gas industry has been particularly busy lately, pandemic or no pandemic. Gas lobbyists have met with EU officials 49 times between March and July 2020 alone. It is no surprise that the industry is worried: the writing’s on the wall for fossil fuels. We are moving towards a zero carbon EU, and gas is terrible for the climate – leaked methane emissions can make it even worse than coal. Already, new gas infrastructure is not economically viable and there is far less demand for gas than previously estimated. Yet despite the facts, and with a crucial European Parliament vote just days away, the industry’s efforts appear to be paying off.
MEPs must overturn the regressive position of the Parliament’s Regional Affairs Committee, which voted in favour of gas being eligible for Just Transition funding. To the gas lobby, the concept of ‘fake news’ is all too familiar. It has been writing its own fake news for years, using its wealth and influence to portray itself as a clean and sustainable “transition fuel.” Polluting gas has no place in a climate neutral Europe and is not particularly effective for job creation.
The European Commission, EU Member States and the EU Committee of the Regions all oppose gas getting Just Transition funding.
“MEPs have a crucial choice. They can kick out fossil fuels and help Europe’s most vulnerable regions unlock the door to a sustainable future. Or they can take money away from those regions to give it to the polluting gas industry. Doing this would be a shocking betrayal both of European citizens and of the climate targets MEPs claim they endorse.” – Katie Treadwell, Energy Policy Officer, WWF European Policy Office
What does WWF want? To truly deliver, the EU Just Transition Mechanism should do three key things:
Exclude gas and other fossil fuels – only projects consistent with a sustainable and climate neutral Europe by 2040 should be financed;
Require plans to be aligned with EU climate targets to access funds, reward climate ambition and include coal phase-out dates of 2030 latest, and gas phase-out dates of 2035 latest; and
Encourage and enable effective partnerships by supporting transparency and meaningful engagement, including with civil society, local governments and trade unions.
Allowing the gas industry to get Just Transition Fund money would directly contradict the concept of a just transition to a zero carbon economy. Fossil gas has no role as a transitional fuel: it accelerates climate change and leaked methane emissions can make it worse for the climate than coal. There is also zero evidence that it would create many or decent jobs, while every $1 million (USD) invested in renewables creates three times more jobs than fossil fuels.
Last but not least, giving priority and money to gas projects would cement Europe’s future in a gas lock-in over the next 40-50 years and waste up to €29 billion of EU taxpayers’ money in stranded assets.Twenty-two organisations including WWF sent a letter on September 8 to the heads of the European political groups calling for the Parliament to reject any opening for fossil gas and ensure the fund prioritises support for Member States who have committed to an ambitious transition.
Background Just Transition in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) will contribute to achieving EU climate neutrality by 2050 and the local development of target regions by having a positive impact in all the important aspects of the transition process – social, economic and environmental. For example, the total coal reserves in Southwest Bulgaria are estimated to be relatively small – less than 15% of the country’s overall reserves; 5% of which is extracted. The two operational thermal power plants (TPPs) in the region, TPP Bobov Dol (Bobov Dol municipality) and TPP Republika (Pernik municipality) burn about 2.5% of the coal, and generate approximately 5% of Bulgaria’s annual electricity production. Closing down these two coal-fired power plants will leave an annual 903,781 MWh energy gap that will need to be filled by alternative sustainable sources.
A WWF study of the southwest coal region in Bulgaria provided 3 scenarios for possible development of the region. The analysis is an attempt to plan the future of coal regions in Bulgaria and to serve as a tool for policy planning and long-term strategic decision-making first in the districts of Pernik, Kyustendil, Blagoevgrad and Sofia (without the city of Sofia); mainly in the municipalities of Bobov Dol and Pernik, as well as the already two other non-operational mines in the region.
There are over 150 protected areas of all types in Southwest Bulgaria, including two of the country’s three national parks: Rila National Park (the largest in Bulgaria) and Pirin National Park (also a UNESCO World Heritage Site). These conditions favour economic alternatives such as the development of various forms of tourism, organic farming, organic stock-breeding, sustainable forestry and fishing. Moving in this direction would also comply with the desire that economic activities should be compatible with the conservation of valuable species, habitats and nature in general. This fact should be a prerequisite for a sustainable future and be considered when deciding on alternative, Just Transition Mechanism-funded economic investments in the region.
For more information: Georgi Stefanov Chief Climate and Energy Expert, WWF-Bulgaria Tel: +359 889 517 976 Email: [email protected] www.wwf.bg / www.climatebg.org Skype: zoro_stefanov
The European Parliament has urged the EU to impose sanctions on Turkey after President Tayyip Erdogan this month paid a visit to the breakaway Turkish-held north of divided Cyprus.
With 631 votes in favour, three against and 59 abstentions, the parliament agreed a non-binding resolution in support of EU member Cyprus urging EU leaders to “take action and impose tough sanctions in response to Turkey’s illegal actions”.
The resolution is likely to bolster support for France’s push for EU sanctions on Turkey next month, following through on a threat made by the bloc in October over a dispute between Ankara and EU members Greece and Cyprus over natural gas rights.
The parliament resolution called Turkey’s gas exploration in the eastern Mediterranean “illegal”.
Paris, at odds with Ankara on other issues too, has not yet drawn up detailed sanctions, but diplomats told Reuters that any measures would likely target areas of Turkey’s economy linked to its hydrocarbon exploration, such as shipping, energy and banking.
“Turkey knows what it needs to do,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told a French parliamentary hearing this week. “Confrontation or collaboration, it’s up to them.”
Cyprus has been divided since a Turkish invasion in 1974 triggered by a brief Greek-inspired coup. Only Ankara, which still maintains troops in the north, recognises as illegal secessionist entity declared by Turkish Cypriots.
Erdogan incensed Cyprus on Nov. 15 by visiting Varosha, a resort that has been fenced-off and abandoned in no-man’s land since 1974. Ankara backed the partial re-opening of Varosha in a move criticised by the United States, Greece and Greek Cypriots.
The Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have approved a resolution titled “Escalating tensions in Varosha following the illegal actions by Turkey and the urgent need for the resumption of talks.”
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry has condemned the resolution, saying, “We completely reject the non-binding resolution adopted by the MEPs on our country and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.”
The press release issued by the European Parliament following the adoption of the resolution has emphasized the three following points: “Turkey must refrain from any action that alters Cyprus’ demographic balance”, “European Union (EU)-Turkey relations at a historic low and “Call for tough sanctions in response to Turkey’s illegal actions.”
While the resolution has been adopted by 631 votes in favour, 3 against and 59 abstentions, the MEPs have stated, “Turkey’s decision to ‘open’ the sealed-off suburb of Varosha undermines prospects of a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus problem.”
“MEPs condemn Turkey’s illegal activities in the Varosha suburb of the city of Famagusta and warn that its partial ‘opening’ weakens prospects of a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus problem, exacerbating divisions and entrenching the permanent partition of the island,” they have noted.
“MEPs call on Turkey to transfer Varosha to its lawful inhabitants under the temporary administration of the UN and to refrain from any actions that alter the demographic balance on the island through a policy of illegal settlement.”
The MEPs have also called for “tough sanctions” against Turkey:
“A sustainable solution to reunify the island of Cyprus and its people can only be found through dialogue, diplomacy, and negotiations, MEPs stress.
“They call on the European Council to maintain its unified position on Turkey’s illegal actions and impose tough sanctions in response.
“MEPs regret that the Turkish authorities have endorsed the two-state solution for Cyprus and reiterate their support for a fair, comprehensive and viable settlement on the basis of a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation with a single international legal status.
“They also call on the EU to play a more active role in bringing the negotiations under UN auspices to a successful conclusion.”
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry rejects the resolution
As reported by the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA), Turkey’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hami Aksoy has denounced the resolution in a statement, saying, “We completely reject the non-binding resolution adopted by the MEPs on our country and the TRNC.”
Underlining that Turkey fully supports the statement made by the Northern Cyprus Presidency on this issue, Aksoy has said, “This decision, which is undoubtedly dictated by the Greek Cypriot Administration, once again demonstrates how disconnected from reality and prejudiced the European Parliament is on the Cyprus issue.”
Aksoy has added that “if the European Parliament maintains this approach and mentality, it is not possible for European Union bodies to make a constructive contribution to the solution of the Cyprus issue.”
“Turkey calls on the EP and EU to face the realities on the island and take into account the presence of the Turkish Cypriot people as well as fulfill the EU commitments made in April 2004 to Turkish Cypriots,” he has stressed.
He has also noted that “Turkey will continue to protect both its own rights and those of Turkish Cypriots”, adding at the same time, Turkey will continue its efforts for dialogue and negotiations within this context.
Varosha, or Maraş, a coastal town in Cyprus’ Famagusta (Gazimağusa) reopened on October 8, 2020, nearly half a century after it was closed to settlement by a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution.
In a controversial move that led his government to break down, Northern Cyprus’ the then Prime Minister Ersin Tatar, now the President of the country, announced the decision on October 6 during a joint press conference with President and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the capital city Ankara.
Following Turkey’s “Second Cyprus Peace Operation” in the 1974 war that eventually divided the Mediterranean island, the town was closed to settlement as it was on the “green line” between the “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” and the “Republic of Cyprus.”
Passed by the UNSC in 1983, Resolution 550 stated, “… Deeply concerned about recent threats for settlement of Varosha by people other than its inhabitants, reaffirming its continuing support for the United Nations Peace-keeping Force in Cyprus…”
A major tourist attraction with its beaches and hotels, Varosha turned into a “ghost town” after this. (EKN/SD)
SEBASTIANO (“NELLO”) MUSUMECI, the governor of Sicily, counts off on his fingers some of the many things he says his island lacks: a hub-port to tap into the goods traffic that flows from the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean; an international airport (“Malta, smaller than the smallest Sicilian province, has one,” he notes indignantly); a modern rail system (large stretches of the existing network are either single-track or unelectrified, or both); and a motorway that fully encircles the triangular island (there is a long gap on one side). “Then there is all the social infrastructure we lack,” he goes on. Top of that list is a shortage of nursery schools.
Europe’s efforts to recover from covid-19 focus on poorer regions like Sicily. One of the aims of its €750bn recovery fund, currently blocked by Poland and Hungary (see article) but due to come on stream next year, is to “level up” the EU. The Italian government will soon spell out to the European Commission how it wants to spend its share of the loans and grants on offer—more than a quarter of the total, says the prime minister, Giuseppe Conte. Last month, Sicily’s regional government sent Rome a list of schemes it hopes will qualify for funding. But although the island’s needs are great, the EU scheme may not help to satisfy them.
Most of the projects the regional government wants for the island are large-scale, long-term and designed to fulfil relatively basic requirements. But the conditions attached to the EU’s main recovery fund prioritise schemes that are “smart”, green and can be completed quite fast. Vincenzo Provenzano, who teaches economics at the university of Palermo, worries that the regional government’s aims may be too ambitious and that it ought to focus more on the potential of the EU’s promised Green Deal. “If we want to have immediate effects, we need to work on areas where Sicily has a comparative advantage,” he says. Organic farming, which Sicily has a lot of, is a perfect example.
Other doubts over Sicily’s capacity to benefit from this unique opportunity have a longer history. The island’s bureaucracy is notoriously sluggish. It may struggle to meet the deadlines set for having access to the EU’s funds: 70% of the money has to be committed, with contracts awarded and signed, by the end of 2022, the remaining 30% within the year after. The entire fund has to be spent by the end of 2026. Sicily has in the past found it hard to devise projects suitable for EU funding and then spend the money it has been given.
In any event, a worry persists that EU or state money invested in Sicily will enrich the island’s Mafia, known to affiliates as Cosa Nostra (“Our Thing”). In this respect there are grounds for optimism. Once the beefiest of Italy’s three main organised-crime syndicates, Cosa Nostra has been losing ground since the 1990s to the Camorra, which operates in and around Naples, and to the Calabrian ’Ndrangheta. Since the early 1990s police and prosecutors have relentlessly pursued it. Under Mr Musumeci, a former president of Sicily’s anti-Mafia commission, they have had solid backing from the regional authorities.
One reason Cosa Nostra has retreated from the streets is that it has increasingly concentrated on white-collar crime. As many investigations have shown, it is still able to muscle in on the allocation of contracts and has a special penchant for helping itself to EU financing.
That has prompted the creation of numerous laws and regulations which are intended to thwart the mobsters’ infiltration of the legal economy but which also slow down the approval of public investment projects. Mr Musumeci argues that the precautions have become excessive. He wants the central government to simplify the procedures for being granted the EU’s funds. “We can’t not look to the future,” he says. ■
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “No cosying up to Cosa Nostra”
