Puglia Region President Decaro Appeals to Center-Right Against Differentiated Autonomy Bill, Citing 'Secession in Installments'

Antonio Decaro, President of the Puglia Region, has issued an urgent appeal to all civil and political forces in Puglia, urging them to unite against the differentiated autonomy bill. He described the legislation, which has seen preliminary agreements approved in the Senate between the government and the regions of Lombardy, Veneto, Piedmont, and Liguria, as a "secession in installments."

“

To all civil and political forces in Puglia: this is a battle for survival. Let's stop this design together, before it becomes irreversible.

Decaro's call comes after the Senate approved preliminary agreements granting these regions greater autonomy in areas such as civil protection, professions, and crucially, healthcare. This move has intensified the long-standing clash between northern regions, often perceived as more financially robust, and southern regions that feel they are already competing on unequal terms.

While Matteo Salvini, leader of the Lega party and a staunch proponent of differentiated autonomy, celebrated the Senate's decision as a step towards "autonomy and fiscal federalism," Decaro expressed a diametrically opposed view. He warned that Italy is "running towards an abyss" and called for an immediate reversal of the current course.

“

We are running towards an abyss.

The primary concern for Decaro, particularly regarding healthcare, is the potential for "differentiated tariffs for healthcare facilities, autonomous management of state funds for hospitals and technologies, establishment of supplementary health funds, and allocation of own resources for personnel or additional compensation." He fears that these powers, exercisable with full margin only by regions with greater fiscal capacity, will transform a formally equal autonomy into a substantially unequal competition between territories, at the expense of patients in the South.

“

While we discuss the past, the real threat is in the future, and it has a precise name: differentiated autonomy.

Decaro acknowledged the political tensions surrounding budget deficits and maneuvers but stressed that "while we discuss the past, the real threat is in the future, and it has a precise name: differentiated autonomy." He implored Puglia's center-right parties, Brothers of Italy, Lega, and Forza Italia, to engage in a discussion with the central government, emphasizing that the debate over differentiated autonomy poses a greater threat than current fiscal discussions.

“

This is a step on the path of autonomy and fiscal federalism; let's continue like this.