by Maximiliano Crocamo
Interviews: Massimo Moretuzzo, Secretary and Group Leader of the FVG Pact for Autonomy in the Regional Council; Riccardo Laterza, leader of the Adesso Trieste group
Councilors from Patto per l’Autonomia–Civica FVG and Adesso Trieste presented a 28-page legal opinion on Monday. It argues that the future management of Trieste’s integrated water service cannot be decided until a regional piano d’ambito (the planning document for the optimal territorial area) is approved. The current Acegas concession expires on Dec. 31, 2027.
At a June 16 hearing of the Trieste City Council’s Third Commission, AUSIR (the regional authority for water and waste services) Director Del Ben confirmed that no such regional plan has been approved. In a Sept. 1 letter to Mayor Roberto Dipiazza, AUSIR maintained that the 2010 local plan remains in force, that an update can follow only after the management decision, and that a regional plan is impossible while several operators exist. AUSIR’s proposed tender would run through 2039.
The pro veritate (independent) opinion, drafted by LLPT Legal lawyers Andrea Poletto and Trevisan, makes three points: planning must precede management decisions; the 2010 plan covers only ordinary administration; and a regional waste plan was approved in 2019 despite the presence of nine separate operators. The lawyers cited Legislative Decree 152/2006, Regional Law 5/2016, and rulings by the Regional Administrative Courts (TAR) of Lombardy (2014) and Piedmont (September), warning that proceeding without a regional plan could lead to annulment and litigation.
Adesso Trieste group leader Riccardo Laterza said the issue is procedural, regardless of the management model chosen. “It is not a mere formality; it is a historic step,” he said. Massimo Moretuzzo, president of Patto per l’Autonomia–Civica FVG, called the matter urgent for the entire region. The opinion will be sent to AUSIR’s board and the other bodies involved in the decision.
