In the past two weeks, the Venice Port Community (Vpc) announced that it had scheduled two meetings with the candidates for the regional elections to express their visions for the future of the port of Venice.
On the fourth of November last, at the Belstay hotel in Marghera, it was Giovanni Manildo’s turn, while on November 17, in the same place, it should have been Alberto Stefani’s turn, accompanied by the Deputy President of the Council Matteo Salvini. Stefani was unable to be present due to a last-minute unforeseen event, but the port community had the opportunity to engage directly with the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport.
Both listened to the needs of the Venetian port Community, starting with completing the works currently before the EIA commission: the “Trezze” island, maintenance of the Canale dei Petroli, the Vittorio Emanuele and the construction of the passenger terminal in the North Channel. The president of Vpc, Davide Calderan, also called for greater attention towards the port from the two politicians: “The port of Venice has never received great attention or clear positions from the Region. We would like this paradigm to change and for there to be more dialogue for, as Manildo and Salvini have acknowledged, what is one of the driving economies for the Region itself and the entire country.” Recently, the Deputy Minister Edoardo Rixi, Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Transport of the Government, also clarified that Venice is central to the country’s economic planning.
Regarding the center-left, Calderan explained: “Manildo assured us that he will want to change the way the Region has been governed, because Veneto cannot do without what he defined as ‘a strong port system, one of the backbones for future growth’. Furthermore, he specified that in the Region’s lack of a long-term vision there will be no room for prejudices, so maintenance will not be a problem, while for cruises and the offshore port, an ‘extraordinary plan’ will be needed, starting precisely from the maintenance of the channels.”
The meeting with the League’s secretary, Matteo Salvini, provided reassurance on some variables dear to the business world revolving around the port: “We were able to bring our issues directly to the top decision-makers, the minister, who reassured us about the need to start the process for the recognition of the regulated port, about the fact that there will be constant collaboration with the Authority for the lagoon, but also investments related to access routes, in addition to maintenance dredging of the channels and investments for the port of Venice.”
These are the conclusions drawn by Calderan: “We are happy that both sides wanted to meet with us, listening to our reality. Both the center-right and the center-left have stated that there will be no discussion about the necessity of carrying out the maintenance dredging of the channels that are essential for the future of our port, so we feel reassured. If on one hand Manildo told us that the fragmentation of a priori ideologies within his coalition will be placed in the background for a greater good, on the other hand Salvini reiterated that he has well understood the need for greater dialogue between us and the Government and that he will see to finding a solution that streamlines communication.”
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