Dl Sostegni bis, Civil Protection: “Added provision that subtracts 15 million euros per year from the Fund”

In the conversion into law of the so-called ‘Sostegni bis’ decree, in article 9, “a provision was inserted that subtracts from the Civil Protection Fund the significant sum of 15 million euros per year, resources aimed at forecasting and preventing risks and to support our volunteering “. The Department of Civil Protection denounced this, underlining that “in the name of the unquestionable principle of scientific autonomy, of which the Department is and remains a firm supporter, with a last-minute amendment the close relationship of synergy between the Institute has been broken. national geophysics and volcanology (Ingv) and the National Civil Protection Service, freeing the Institute’s activities from the convention that historically regulates its relations with the Civil Protection Department and introducing an element of strong disparity within a complex system made up of many bodies and scientific institutes: each of these excellent organizations, of which Ingv is only one, albeit with an essential and irreplaceable role, makes a specific and precious contribution in facing the complex challenges of risk reduction “. “The role of the Department is therefore to manage this network of skills, in order to integrate the knowledge and products deriving from research and innovation activities in concrete risk reduction activities, taking responsibility for the very delicate choices that derive from them on a daily basis”, adds the Civil protection. “It is regrettable to note – the note reads – that the legislator did not feel the need to consult the Department in advance to understand the impact that such a rule produces on the civil protection system. With a few lines in a decree law , which, moreover, should concern ‘Urgent measures connected to the Covid-19 emergency’, one of the pillars of our system is questioned, namely the role of the scientific community in applied research for civil protection purposes: an intuition of Minister Zamberletti who has distinguished the Italian model of civil protection for thirty years and represents one of the reasons for the s ua efficiency. Precisely to continue to guarantee this efficiency, the Department is already working to find a solution that can remedy this element of imbalance, respecting the roles of each and with the sole objective of ensuring an adequate service to the country, an objective we feel about very strong responsibility “.” Investments in scientific research and interventions in support of its autonomy are welcome, but not to the detriment of the National Civil Protection Fund, weakening the role of the scientific community in the National Service and depleting the resources allocated to forecasting, prevention and mitigation of the multiple risks affecting our country “, concludes the note.