Taranto as Essen. The Apulian city's dream is to move from being negatively renowned for its steelmaking hub to becoming European Green Capital. A difficult undertaking, but not an impossible one. An interview with deputy mayor Rocco De Franchi.
Never mind Black Friday — the American-made commercial phenomenon of cut-price deals: in Taranto, every day is a black day. In the Ionian capital, the appetite for jokes is thin, because the environmental emergency continues to dominate and to frighten. All the more so after the latest violent storm, which swept the steelworks' waste into the sea and produced a "red river" — images that went round the web within hours. Only days earlier, a letter written by a thirteen-year-old girl to Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni had also caused a stir: she had been unable to take part in the traditional march held on World Children's Rights Day because of the days of strong wind that blow from the northwest over the Tamburi district, carrying fine particulate matter from the Ilva steelworks.
These are the situations that led Apulia regional president Michele Emiliano to announce that, in response to the new national energy strategy (Sen), he will present a plan to make Ilva neutral in terms of CO2 emissions (decarbonisation), given that for the time being "no reduction in the use of fossil fuels is envisaged, with the risk that the company will continue to pollute Taranto".
To take stock of the situation, we interviewed Taranto's councillor for the environment and deputy mayor, Rocco De Franchi.
The "red river" a few days ago was only the latest episode. How is it possible that every time the wind picks up a little or a little rain falls, Taranto becomes the set of a horror film?
We are making every effort to change the city, its brand and its "community" perception. Certain images shake everyone's conscience, and we have a duty to spread them, because through awareness we will become a normal city. We are the city of dolphins and seahorses. We must show ourselves for what we are, because nature always prevails even over the gravest ugliness.
No rainbow of hope seems to be rising over Ilva. If there is one, what is this administration's dream for the largest steelworks in Europe and for all the thousands of workers?
The issue is complex. In Taranto, as a result of a long succession of decree-laws, we find ourselves in an unprecedented state of "suspension of the law". What is a criminal offence in Bolzano and Palermo is lawful here. We are a city upon which impunity has been imposed — a situation without equal in Europe. We are currently engaged in intensive negotiations with the Italian government and in talks with Arcelor-Mittal, the Franco-Indian multinational that is set to take over the plant, because covering the ore yards is not enough. In Taranto, people are not dying because of steel, but because of the production method. We are in favour of radical decarbonisation — not because it is a mantra taken up even by Pope Francis, but because the government itself demands it by 2025 in the new national energy strategy. We cannot understand why this should not apply to Taranto.
Alongside Ilva, Taranto is also home to Eni. A few days ago there was serious alarm at the plant when three safety flares were ignited simultaneously. What happened, and how are you engaging with the multinational?
We are making every effort to open a new dialogue with the major industrial presences in the area, Eni included. The incident the other day, as well as putting us on alert, demonstrated that communication with the company is working properly. Personally, I spoke with senior company management dozens of times during the emergency and they always provided me with all the answers I needed. We must, however, oblige them to use better technologies. And we will succeed, for the good of the city.
As deputy mayor, someone who can also offer an overall view, what policies are you adopting to improve air quality, mobility, or urban regeneration with sustainability in mind?
We are in a very intensive planning phase. We will shortly be launching a major discussion on the urban master plan. Right now we are involved in drawing up the sustainable urban mobility plan. Not everyone may know this, but Taranto has a very large surface area: 220 square kilometres — compared with Milan's 180 — with 340 kilometres of roads. The Ilva site alone is the size of an average Italian city. With a circular economy in mind, we ambitiously aim to close the waste cycle virtuously, through a radical transformation of the service offered to citizens. When we took office, the separate waste collection rate was 14 per cent. Today it is well above 21 per cent.
Make a wish: what do you hope for in order to make Taranto one of the most liveable cities in the country, given that it possesses an artistic, historical and cultural heritage that is almost unique in the world?
Essen, the German city that is home to another steelworks and one of the largest industrial hubs in Europe, is European Green Capital in 2017. Our dream, before the end of this term of office, is to put Taranto forward as a candidate for this prestigious award.