We receive and publish the “Open Letter” of farewell with which the General of the Guardia di Finanza, in the role of extraordinary commissioner of the Government for the SIN of Crotone, Emilio Errigo, having reached the end of his mandate, greets and thanks the institutions and citizens.
“DEAR CALABRIA, I WISH YOU GOOD POLITICS AND A GOOD LIFE” writes commissioner Emilio Errigo:
«Dear Calabrian citizens, illustrious colleagues, esteemed friends,
destiny has its own geometry that often escapes our immediate understanding. After having operated in various parts of Italy and Europe with ranks and institutional roles of great importance for me, forty-five years later my path has brought me back to my Calabria.
On January 16, 2023, the President of the Calabria Region, Roberto Occhiuto, wanted me by his side to accelerate the proper functioning and give a new operational push to ARPACAL, the Regional Agency for Environmental Protection, entrusting me with the role of Extraordinary Commissioner. Eight months later, on September 14, 2023, the national Government asked for and obtained my availability to serve the country in other capacities, conferring upon me the responsibility of extraordinary commissioner of the Government for the Site of National Interest of Crotone, Cassano and Cerchiara di Calabria.
Two stages of a journey that brought me back home, no longer as a young man seeking affirmation elsewhere, but as a servant of the institutions called to return competence and experience to my land. A life spent in the service of the State, intertwined with the awareness of one who has never forgotten their roots.
When I accepted this assignment, I did so with the profound will to give something back to Calabria, the land that gave me birth, that forged my values and that I carry unconditionally in my heart.
I conclude today, in full and loyal agreement with the Minister of the Environment and Energy Security Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, my mandate as extraordinary commissioner of the Government, as established by the DPCM of appointment, at the end of two intense, extraordinary and – allow me – historic years.
Two years in which we achieved what had not been managed in twenty-five years: we gave a real, visible, and concrete start to the reclamation of one of the most complex SINs in Italy and one of the most polluted areas to be reclaimed in Europe. August 18, 2025 will remain a date etched in the environmental history of Calabria: the first tons of non-hazardous waste began their journey towards final disposal, marking the beginning of a process of true remediation.
Justifications were no longer acceptable, delays were no longer permitted. And indeed, I did not accept them.
I wish to express my deepest and most heartfelt gratitude to the President of the Council of Ministers hon. Giorgia Meloni, who believed in me by equipping me by decree with all the tools to effectively face a challenge of such magnitude.
To Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, who in his recent communication wanted to acknowledge “the collaborative spirit and extreme commitment” poured into my mandate, defining it “a praiseworthy example for present and future generations especially in the affected territory of the Calabria Region”. Words that represent for me the highest institutional recognition of the work done.
A heartfelt thanks to the hon.
Roberto Occhiuto, who, as President of the Calabria Region, was the first to believe in the possibility of a fruitful return to my land, entrusting me with the leadership of ARPACAL. His far-sighted vision and the trust placed in me represented the first, fundamental piece of this path of service to Calabria. Even in moments of greatest tension, when differing views on intervention methods became more evident, the dialogue between us always remained within the bounds of institutional loyalty and mutual respect.
A dutiful acknowledgment goes to the Judicial Authorities and Magistrates I have met on several occasions who, through their vigilance and control of legality, have helped to keep my attention, the level of transparency, and procedural correctness always high. Their constant presence has always been a strong guarantee of legitimacy for every action undertaken.
Thanks to all the deputies and senators of the Republic, parliamentary representatives of the territory, of every political affiliation, and in particular to the president and members of the parliamentary commission of inquiry into illicit activities connected to the waste cycle and other environmental and agri-food offenses, for the courage, perseverance, and dedication with which they conducted such a thorough investigation. The hearings held, the site visits carried out, the steps taken in institutional transparency constitute a valuable contribution that is and will remain etched in the history of the SIN of Crotone. Thank you for putting the common good, environmental protection, the defense of health and the dignity of citizens at the center: your work honors public commitment.
My most heartfelt gratitude goes to the Armed Forces and the Police Forces, without whose support nothing that was accomplished would have been possible. To the Carabinieri Corps, which provided extraordinary operational assistance, demonstrating once again to be an irreplaceable pillar of the democratic State. To the Italian Army, which guaranteed the dispatch of vehicles and men and an indispensable security framework for delicate operations. To my colleagues of the Guardia di Finanza and the State Police, who monitored everything at all times and rigorously and competently applied the operational directives. When someone raised doubts about my involvement of the Armed and Police Forces, they demonstrated a failure to understand the true nature of these institutions: they are never “against” the citizens, but always “with” the citizens. They represent the backbone of a functioning State, that part of the Republic that knows how to transform directives into concrete action.
I also wish to extend a cordial farewell to the pro tempore president of the Port System Authority, Dr. Andrea Agostinelli, whose institutional collaboration has always been valuable and constructive. A grateful thought also goes to the Commander of the Maritime Directorate of Calabria of the Corps of the Harbour Offices – Coast Guard and to the Captain of the Vessel, commander of the Maritime District of Crotone, for their tireless commitment and support offered during the most delicate phases of the mandate. No less important is the thanks I intend to extend to the District Directors of Ferrovie dello Stato and ANAS, who guaranteed availability and collaboration in such a complex context.
With sincere esteem, I greet the dear friends of the Fire Brigade, always ready to intervene with professionalism and dedication, and the directors and officials of the Provveditorato Interregionale alle Opere Pubbliche per la Sicilia e la Calabria, whose technical-administrative contribution has been a fundamental pillar for the success of the activities undertaken.
But the success of these two years would not have been possible without a group of extraordinary people who chose to bet on this project, launching themselves with me into a complex experience with an uncertain future. To them goes my deepest and most personal gratitude. To my close collaborators of the Commissarial Structure (itself established upon my specific will, accepted by the Legislator), men and women who accepted to share day and night the toils, worries, and responsibilities of an unprecedented mandate: you have shown that there are still people willing to put their expertise at the service of the common good, even when the price to pay is high in terms of personal and professional commitment.
A special thanks to the jurists, legal experts, State attorneys, and university professors who were able to traverse the arduous yet rigorous paths of the law to provide me with the best advice and the most qualified assistance possible. In a sector where every decision must be measured from a legal standpoint, your expertise was the compass that guided us through the most intricate regulatory complexities. You managed to transform the complexity of environmental law into a concrete operational tool.
My gratitude goes to the leadership, directors, officials, and operational members of the Ministero dell’Ambiente, the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, SOGESID, ISPRA, and ARPACAL who committed themselves with dedication to the issues of the remediation of the SIN of Crotone. Without your technical-scientific support, without your ability to translate political directives into concrete administrative action, nothing of what was achieved would have been possible. You have shown that when technical skills are put at the service of a clear project, results are achieved.
I infinitely thank the president of ENI SpA and, in particular, the chief executive officer of ENI Rewind SpA, the leadership and contacts of every rank and level of all the parties obligated to the remediation who, despite the regulatory and operational complexities and pressures of every kind, made their structures, professionalism, and technical expertise available. Collaborating with them has shown that when operating within the furrow of legality and frankness, results can be achieved even in the most difficult contexts.
My gratitude also goes to the representatives of all the territorial bodies – Regional Council, Municipal Councils, Provinces – who made the remediation of the SIN a central theme of the political-administrative debate. Whether they received my solicitations positively or negatively, they always demonstrated that they considered the issue worthy of the utmost institutional attention.
A thanks goes to the President of the Province of Crotone and the Mayor of Crotone who, although having requested my resignation on multiple occasions, maintaining that position firmly without ever revoking it, never failed to provide the institutional collaboration necessary for the successful outcome of many useful operations.
I thank you for the great hospitality extended and for a consistently frank and straightforward dialogue, which has helped to keep our respective positions clear.
A heartfelt thank you goes to all the press organs, to the journalists of print, television, and the web who have followed – and will follow – with constant attention this complex affair. I know well how difficult it is to translate into understandable language issues that range from administrative law to industrial chemistry, from tender procedures to European waste regulations. I thank you for having offered, with your attention – whether biased or balanced – a genuine public service. Because informing citizens about issues that concern their health and the future of their territory is an essential mission. Even when your assessments have been critical, you have helped to keep the focus on a problem that for too many years had remained in the shadows. I understand the difficulties of those who must tell a twenty-five-year-long story in a few lines of news, of those who must explain the urgency of decisions that some have considered hasty. Your work has allowed the Calabrians to follow, step by step, an affair that concerns them directly. For this reason, beyond different sensitivities and orientations, your profession has provided an irreplaceable service to democracy and transparency.
And allow me a special thank you also to those who have contested my actions, who have demonstrated in the squares, who have raised objections, who have expressed doubts or dissent. Your opposition has been precious, because it has forced us to continuously verify the soundness of decisions, to strengthen my arguments, to always seek better and more shared solutions possible. Democracy thrives on confrontation, even harsh, as long as it remains within the bounds of legality and institutional respect. Those who have contested my choices have contributed, often without knowing it, to making our work more solid and unassailable. For this, my respect goes to you as well.
My immense gratitude certainly goes to all those honest citizens (very many, fortunately), to those associations, to those Calabrian intellectuals who have understood the spirit and purpose of my work, supporting me in the most complex moments. Your support has been the fuel for my determination.
I leave with pride a transparent administrative and accounting situation, the result of the necessary rigor in the management of the public resources entrusted to the SIN of Crotone. Every financial choice has been made with the utmost correctness and prudence, in the awareness that public money represents a common good to be protected with absolute responsibility. I hope that this legacy of seriousness and administrative discipline will be preserved and that the resources now available will be used with the same meticulousness, exclusively for the good of the territory and the health of the citizens.
from left, Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin and Commissioner Emilio Errigo
And now allow me some personal considerations on the distinction between Good Politics and what we might call “bad politics,” between the Good Life and the “bad life.” Good Politics is, in my opinion, that which knows how to distinguish between the urgent and the important, which does not confuse immediate consensus with lasting common good.
It is the one that knows how to make difficult decisions even when unpopular, that prioritizes the safeguarding of public health over electoral convenience. In Good Politics, a special commissioner is not called to mediate between opposing interests, but to enforce the law of the State. They know that certain problems require solutions, not political compromises. Bad politics, on the other hand, is the one that prefers postponement to action, the one that coddles inaction, that considers every authoritative decision an offense to its own capacity for “mediation.” It is the one that has been dozing for decades and only woke up to oppose.
I wish Good Politics to those who discovered sudden environmentalist vocations only when it came to deciding where to dispose of waste. The environment is certainly sacred, but it truly becomes so only when words are translated into deeds.
I wish Good Politics to those who now hope for a new management of the SIN that is more… let’s say… flexible than mine has been.
And now let’s come to the Good Life. The Good Life, in my way of seeing things, is that of those who know that certain battles must be fought not because they are convenient, but because they are right. It is the life of those who manage to sleep soundly knowing they have done everything possible to leave future generations a cleaner earth. The Good Life is that of those who understand that service to institutions is not a privilege to be managed, but a duty to be honored. It is the life of those who know that true authority stems from the coherence between what one says and what one does. The bad life, on the other hand, is that of those who always prioritize personal convenience over the common good, who confuse cunning with intelligence, mediation with compromise. It is the life of those who know full well what the problems are, but prefer not to solve them so as not to disturb established equilibria.
In these two years, I have confirmed within myself that when your only guiding light is the law – not convenience but the law of the State – you can become inconvenient. The law knows no discretionary nuances when it comes to protecting public health, it admits no exceptions when the environment is at stake, it grants no discounts to anyone when the Constitution must be enforced.
In this experience, I have learned that politics is the art of the possible, while a General of the Guardia di Finanza considers possible only what is necessary according to the law. Two apparently incompatible logics, especially when decisions must be made that affect entrenched interests.
But I want to say one important thing: Calabria, when given the opportunity, knows how to express competence, rigor, and concrete results. I have had the honor of seeing it with my own eyes.
I believe and hope that this mandate has allowed me to give back something important to my land, to demonstrate that a son of Calabria can serve the State with the same rigor with which he has served for a lifetime, wherever he was called.
That Calabria does not need pity or special treatment, but only to be put in a position to express what it truly is, with dignity.
When someone, in the future, tells you that “this is how things are done here,” that “you need to be calmer and more patient,” that “Rome is far away and doesn’t understand,” remind them that Calabrians can demonstrate that it can be done differently. That legality is not a luxury, but a right for all.
That the State, when it works, works everywhere.
I have certainly forgotten to mention someone who deserved a thank you, and for this I apologize. However, I will always remain attentive and passionate about the dynamics of Calabria, an observer of the evolving situation of the SIN of Crotone, curious about its future, in the certainty that there will be no shortage of opportunities for discussion to continue to serve, each in their own role, this land that we love.
I come to the end of this mandate without regrets. Not of a single decision, not of a single word written, not of a single signature placed. Because if those signatures, if those decisions have served or will serve to prevent even one more illness, or one broken life, due to the polluting agents that have infested our territory for decades, I will continue to feel forever that I have done my duty.
The reclamation of the SIN of Crotone has begun. I hope it is the beginning of an unstoppable process, because the machine is truly in motion. Others will drive it, with other methods, other sensitivities, other priorities.
To the ministerial representative who will succeed me – as announced by Minister Pichetto Fratin – I wish them the ability to draw from the accumulated baggage of experience, but above all to always have the strength to choose the right path, even when it is the most difficult. Even when no one will be immediately grateful to them for it».
To all of you, dear Calabrians: never stop demanding. Never stop believing that our land deserves firmness, truth, legality, and justice. Never settle for bad politics or the bad life. Always demand Good Politics and always aspire to the Good Life.
Calabria deserves it. The Calabrians deserve it. Future generations demand it.
With unchanged respect, sincere gratitude, and the certainty of having served with honor»
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