FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
"Only thanks to our pressure did the government finally publish the figures. And they are scandalous: just changing the flag, that is, changing the flag, cost Italy 1.6 million euros"...
As stipulated in the 2023 agreement on migrant centers, we also donated the Libra ship to Albania, an Italian Navy patrol ship specifically used to transport several dozen Egyptians and Bangladeshis to the Shëngjin and Gjadër facilities. This was before referrals to the European Court of Justice blocked the government’s plans, forcing it to shift its focus back to a repatriation center, transferring there those already held in Italy.
Speaking of waste, the opposition also wanted to clarify the Libra transfer. Last July, in the Budget Committee of the Chamber of Deputies, Marco Grimaldi and Gianmauro Dell'Olio, deputies from the Alliance of the Greens and the Left and the Five Star Movement, had requested clarification on the draft ministerial decree being examined and the costs associated with it.
"Only thanks to our pressure did the government finally publish the figures. And they are scandalous: just changing the flag, that is, changing the flag, cost Italy 1.6 million euros ," said the AVS MP.
In its responses to parliamentarians, the Ministry of Economy and Finance initially defended the reasons for the sale, citing “important strategic, operational and diplomatic consequences”, including strengthening cooperation in maritime security, “with the hope of consolidating existing cooperation in surveillance, search and rescue, environmental protection and other areas of common interest in the Mediterranean and Adriatic seas”. Finally, it highlighted “support for the national stance in the Western Balkans” and “consolidation of mutual trust between Rome and Tirana”. Regarding costs, the Ministry of Economy and Finance stated that Libra was placed in “administrative reserve status” starting “from 1 May 2025, as it is obsolete for technical reasons and no longer meets the modern operational needs of the Navy”.
Specifically, "the costs of rebuilding the flag amount to approximately 1.6 million euros, drawn from the Ministry of Defense budget for Defense Capacity Building activities."
The government assures that "the residual value of the naval vessel is estimated at approximately 3.8 million euros". Dell'Olio, echoing Grimaldi's comments, requested details on the materials attached to the ship, "although obsolete", to verify its economic value. The Ministry of Economy and Finance specified that these are unclassified on-board equipment, mainly contemporary with the ship, intended to ensure its operation. And although their inventory value is around one million euros, they are technologically obsolete and have "practically zero" commercial value, adding that the Navy will face much higher costs for its final disposal.
Finally, she states that as scrap, the ship could have a value of between 70,000 and 100,000 euros only if it is joined with other ships, while its demolition would cost between 200,000 and 250,000 euros for Italy.
Grimaldi, commenting on the responses he received, criticized the operation, calling it "unworthy of a democracy."
"A military patrol ship, armed and operational for at least 15 years, donated with public funds to strengthen a navy that will be responsible for monitoring and removing people seeking protection. The gift of one million dollars adds disproportionate costs to extraterritorial CPRs. This is not a pact between allies; it is Europe that pays for silence, it is Italy that trades rights for border control and externalization. An illegal and inhumane project," he declared./Adapted from "Pamphlet", from "Ilfattoquotidiano.it"
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