MILAN (ITALPRESS) – “I am waiting to read the reasons for the decision of the constitutional judges. In the meantime, we are moving forward on the request to the state to cede competencies for matters that can pass to the regions without the need to set Leps first: from civil protection to foreign trade.” Thus, in an interview with la Repubblica, Attilio Fontana, president of the Lombardy Region, on the subject of the Consulta’s ruling that defined some provisions within the Calderoli reform as illegitimate. “The Court ruled that the law is constitutional, except for some aspects to be corrected,” the governor stressed. “And from what I have read so far, it does not seem to me that it takes into consideration the issue of the transfer of matters that do not provide for the fixing of Leps. “The fact that the law has been recognized as constitutional is a victory,” he adds. “Of course, we will have to deal with other steps that will delay its implementation, so in that respect I can concede that it was a draw. Overall, however, it is a victory. “The judges,” Fontana points out, “believe that the LEPs should be set by the Chambers and not by the government. That’s fine, too: Parliament’s additions are welcome, but it’s not the case to call the reform into question. However, there is one thing that puzzles me about the decision of the Consultation. I am not convinced by the point where it says that Parliament can amend the agreement between the state and the regions. The Chambers can approve or reject the agreement, but they cannot amend it. It is an agreement between two parties; it cannot be amended by a third party. Neither Parliament nor the Council can determine how the agreement is reached. Also because the Calderoli law has already established that the procedure must involve parliamentarians.” And to the question of whether he also enrolls the judges of the Consulta among the togas who obstruct the government’s action, he replied, “I’m not saying it’s an invasion of the field, but that passage puzzles me. I want to read the reasons.” Fontana is convinced that “the only thing that risks splitting the country is the referendum if it is going to be held and if the left continues to use the tones it has used so far to try to scare people and cover its own divisions,” but it does not scare him: “No, also because I do not forget that the request for the approval of an autonomy law comes from the popular will expressed in a referendum by the citizens of Veneto and Lombardy.” “We will explain the difference between those who want reforms and those who only know how to say no,” he continued. “We will need more time, but we will not back down. “I see the problems between allies in the center-left and not between us. Then, the future is on Jupiter’s lap…,” emphasizes Fontana, who, when asked about the exchange pact between the autonomy that the League wants and the premierate that is a flag of Meloni’s party, replies, “That of exchange is a malicious interpretation. I consider them two reforms that are useful for the country. And then from the allies so far I have heard explicit words of support for the reform. As you can see, the whole center-right believes that the one at the Consulta, on balance, is a victory.”- photo Agenzia Fotogramma -(ITALPRESS).
