Telosaes.it

"I believe that cities – especially those with a sound, unblemished international reputation like Milan, for instance – must play an increasingly more strategic role at the national and international level. Large metropolises have the gift of knowing how to relate at the global level, without losing sight of local needs."

Telos: Every time someone talks about the direct election of the Prime Minister, people use the very evocative expression “Mayor of Italy”. So is it true that a Mayor has, in the administration of his or her own city, more power than the Prime Minister has today?

Giuseppe Sala: That is not how I might pose this question. Both roles certainly entail taking on a lot of responsibility with respect to the city and the country. However, through the political-administrative leadership and by coordinating the efforts of the executive committee or of the Ministers, the Mayor and the Prime Minister perform their respective functions within a range of different competences. This is why talking about greater power for the Mayor compared to that of the Prime Minister seems like a bit of a stretch to me. If anything, we can say that Mayors have one specific characteristic: they liaise directly with their citizens. This truly is an advantage in defining and directing administrative action. The fact of being close to the city, present throughout the local area and sharing its problems allows the mayor to keep his or her finger on the pulse of citizens’ mood as well as on their needs and expectations. The Municipality is the first institution citizens turn to in order to resolve large and small everyday local issues that, along with all the realities in the country, define the overall national situation, which the Prime Minister is responsible for. This is why I believe that cities – especially those with a sound, unblemished international reputation like Milan, for instance – must play an increasingly more strategic role at the national and international level. Large metropolises have the gift of knowing how to relate at the global level, without losing sight of local needs.

The breakdown in the party system has likely been the source of people’s widespread anti-political sentiment. And yet this gap between citizens and politics is not nearly as wide when it comes to the Mayor. Are your citizens still passionate about politics?

Political disenchantment – starting with that of younger people – stems from the inability of politicians themselves to deal seriously and concretely with delicate, crosscutting issues that concern everyone. Environmental challenges, unemployment, social justice all come to mind, for example. It is up to us politicians to behave responsibly and in a way that is open to dialogue and constructive so that citizens can play a more active role in the choices that regard them. Unfortunately, the prevailing outdated, tedious attitude that is argumentative and disrespectful both among the parties in opposition to one another and within the parties themselves – today magnified by the social media – does not help bring people closer to the Institutions; it does not help generate interest in the decisions that regard each of our everyday lives. On the contrary, it exasperates people’s spirit and fuels tensions and social, political and economic instability. Quarrelling and rude behaviour between “allies”, the lack of a strategic vision and the ability to plan are what cause things to come unglued. Even in Milan people’s political passion is going through a difficult time. However, what I can say is that when opportunities are created for real, face-to-face discussion – from the presentation of redevelopment interventions neighbourhood by neighbourhood to meetings in the city outskirts, to breakfast gatherings in less conventional social areas – namely, when the institutions come out of the halls of power and go out to where the problems are without sticking their heads in the sand, then the people not only feel like they have been taken into consideration; they are present and take part. And in Milan this is also possible because the city can count on a strong network of organisations, brilliant expressions of civic mindedness.

You have just passed the halfway mark since you were elected in June 2016. So it is time to take stock of your initial results. What were the key points in your government programme and which of these did you manage to accomplish?

I am not the kind of person who takes stock at mid-term. And for as much as has been done over these three years, there is still plenty left to do. We have launched specific plans of action that are yielding significant results regarding dossiers that are strategic for the future of Milan. For example the “Piano Quartieri” [Plan for Neighbourhoods] consisting in projects involving all the city neighbourhoods and an overall investment of 1.6 billion euros. Moreover, we are moving ahead with a plan to restore vacant public housing: so far since May 2018 over 900 of 3,000 homes have been restored. We having been taking important steps forward in the area of the environment, starting by spreading solutions for sustainable mobility, from spreading car, bike and scooter sharing services to enlarging the underground system, creating the Area B (a limited traffic area covering most of Milan), to gradually replacing public buses with electric transport. And that is not all: I decided to group together the [executive committee] appointments regarding environmental transition and I am personally handling them, because the environmental question is largely political and requires effective answers. All of this, in addition to a cutting-edge, high-quality cultural and entertainment offering and an increasingly modern, contemporary skyline, helps reinforce Milan’s reputation, both on a national and international level.

The 2026 Winter Olympics, Milan’s candidacy to host the European Patent Office: basically, Milan is growing. And this is without a doubt mainly because of your executive committee. People say this model could inspire a new idea of the centre-left, which moves beyond the Democratic Party (PD) to form a political subject that is ecologically minded, supportive and liberal. What do you think?

As I have explained on other occasions, I would like to see a more determined left. To the extent possible, I am trying to do my part in this. I think we need to concentrate on the issues citizens are most concerned about: the environment and social justice are priority matters that need to be dealt with seriously and pragmatically. All over the world, the progressive left has been discussing this. Now the PD still has room to grow, but not too much. And only a new political subject capable of providing real answers to people’s questions, getting young people and others to vote, could make the country more competitive and allow it to overcome the stalemate and deadlock of the government of the League and the Five Star Movement. Can Milan be a model? Sure it can. Milan can be a guide because it is ready to try and get into the game, taking on the biggest challenges of the environment and rights as opportunities for cultural and social development. Milan is also a top-notch social and political laboratory. Just think of last 2 March when 200,000 people gathered in Piazza del Duomo to demonstrate against racism or other important things Milan has been recognised for and how it always ensures rights are safeguarded.

Marco Sonsini