by Maximiliano Crocamo
interview: Serena Pellegrino, Regional councilor for Friuli Venezia Giulia Alleanza Verdi e Sinistra (AVS, the Greens and Left alliance)
As Friuli Venezia Giulia’s regional council prepares to debate a budget adjustment package worth nearly €1 billion over the next four days, opposition councilor Serena Pellegrini of Alleanza Verdi e Sinistra (Greens and Left Alliance) has unveiled 33 amendments aimed at tackling social inequality, climate resilience and public health.
Presenting the proposals at a press conference on Tuesday, Pellegrini said the amendments were guided by “a clear political vision: using regional resources to reduce inequality, protect biodiversity and prepare Friuli Venezia Giulia for the effects of the climate crisis.”
Among the measures she described as the most significant is a proposal, submitted jointly with councilors Diego Capozzi of the Five Star Movement and Diego Moretti Conficoni of the Democratic Party, to support victims of caporalato — the illegal recruitment and exploitation of workers.
The amendment would allocate up to €60,000 to provide temporary housing for workers who face homelessness after reporting labor exploitation or cooperating with authorities. The program would involve municipalities, social services, the regional public housing agency ATER, trade unions and third-sector organizations.
“It is not credible to ask an exploited person to report abuse and then leave them without a place to live,” Pellegrini said.
Several proposals focus on adapting to increasingly frequent heat waves. One amendment would dedicate €250,000 over 2027 and 2028 to create temporary public “climate shelters” where residents could seek relief during periods of extreme heat. The region would establish the guidelines, while municipalities would identify suitable locations.
Another measure would invest €1 million in 2027 to install air conditioning and heat pumps in schools, with priority given to early-childhood education facilities.
Environmental protection also features prominently in the package. Pellegrini is proposing to limit hunting to two days per week, excluding Sundays, establish a 500-meter no-hunting buffer around homes, workplaces, parks and cycling paths, and repeal regulations allowing the use of live decoy birds.
In healthcare, one amendment would allocate €1 million to expand access to dental treatment under general anesthesia for patients, including people with disabilities, who cannot otherwise undergo care, with the goal of reducing waiting lists.
Another proposal would increase the income threshold for exemptions from healthcare co-payments from €36,000 to €38,000, preventing modest pension increases from disqualifying retirees from receiving the benefit.
The remaining amendments span a wide range of issues, including €500,000 to help small fishing and aquaculture businesses respond to the spread of the invasive blue crab, funding to replace paved surfaces with permeable green areas to reduce urban heat, incentives for long-term rental housing in high-demand communities, support for emerging regional artists, and measures promoting sex education and assistance for victims of gender-based violence and their children.
The proposals will now be considered as part of the regional council’s debate on the 2026-2028 budget adjustment bill.
