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When “Phase 2” opens, the province follows its own path and appeals to its special status: Rome is angry, speaking of “reckless steps” and threatening countermeasures.
South Tyrol rebels against Rome: the autonomous province follows its own path in phase 2 of the Corona crisis, opening bars, restaurants or hotels faster than Rome intended. Draw the anger of the Italian government: there is no justification for this “frivolous move,” regional minister Francesco Boccia said on Friday. He threatened to take action. New tensions are now possible due to the autonomy package.
Italy has only tentatively dropped the barriers, but the catering industry will remain closed across the country until June. On the other hand, all shops in South Tyrol must be open on Saturdays, hairdressers, bars, restaurants and museums on Monday, and from May 18 there will be small groups in kindergartens and primary schools. On May 25, the hotels can reopen and the cable cars can start working again.
The state parliament passed a corresponding law on Friday night. The state government had already submitted the draft last week. It should take effect on Friday.
Hope for an open border to South Tyrol
With that, one hopes in South Tyrol to somehow save the summer tourist season. In an interview with the daily “La Repubblica”, Governor Arno Kompscher said he was working on bilateral border agreements with neighboring countries for this purpose, including with Austria.
The Brenner has been closed to passenger traffic since mid-March. South Tyrol students who are enrolled in Austria can cross the border again as soon as lectures start due to an agreement with Vienna. The company is working on “achieving more,” says Kompatscher. However, above all, Bolzano expects an opening for the Germans, who constitute a large part of the guests in the province. There should also be agreements with Switzerland.
How Rome will react to these solo attempts is still unclear: Italy has been isolated for months due to the violent pandemic in the country, all borders have been sealed, and Italians have only been allowed to leave again since the beginning of the week. . Some industrial companies resumed production on Monday, but many stores remain closed, as do restaurants, bars, and hotels.
“Security that Rome lacked”
The basis of the “South Tyrol Road” is the statute of autonomy, according to Bolzano: “The State of South Tyrol will design the Phase 2 Crown independently in the sense of the autonomy of South Tyrol,” Kompscher also stressed.
And Philipp Achammer, head of the ruling South Tyrol People’s Party (SVP), commented on the new law with a clear blow in Rome: “With the passage of the state law for the design of phase 2, the stone has been laid key to South Tyrol’s path to overcoming the crown crisis will go in the future. With this state law, we are finally offering our families and businesses the perspective and security that the Roman government has so far lacked “
South Tyrol law was preceded by a long dispute between the Italian regions and the central government in Rome. The regions called for more freedom and independence when designing “Phase 2”. Since the government had not accepted this, the “path of autonomy” will now be followed and the measures will be implemented, according to Bolzano.
In areas that are not regulated by this state law, state regulations still apply, the state government emphasized: this applies, for example, when traveling to other Italian regions or with safety regulations such as protective masks or safety distances.
Compatscher justified “La Repubblica” to go only with the infection numbers, which developed better than in other northern Italian provinces: in total, South Tyrol has 520,891 inhabitants, 2,558 people are infected with the virus, 289 people died of Covid-19. Across Italy, the death toll is 29,958.
Survey of the regions.
Other regions of Italy are also testing the uprising against Rome in Phase 2: bars and restaurants have been operating in the Calabria region of southern Italy since last weekend. Rome has already threatened to take punitive measures. Southern Italy was barely affected by the virus compared to the north of the country.
Meanwhile, northeast Friuli Venezia Giulia has announced plans to open hotels, shops, restaurants, and bars ahead of Rome’s plans. In Friuli there are popular beaches among Austrians like Grado.
“Lot of Rome”, shooters demand
But the case of South Tyrol is particularly politically sensitive, as new discussions about autonomy are looming. The Rome Statute of Autonomy is reportedly not believed to allow independent measures in “Phase 2”. It is also unclear whether Austria is now a “protective power” if the dispute escalates.
In any case, the protests by the shooters over the weekend caused additional tension. The Rifle Association had once again called for an uprising against the “foreign state of Italy”: on Saturday night to Sunday, fires were set in the mountains on various slopes, with the motto: “The von Rom”.
(Enough)
