ROME – Sicily’s small islands were at the centre of the debate during the first meeting of the new 2023-2027 board of the Regional Council of Engineers, held in Favignana, "where all the beauties and criticalities that characterise the Sicilian oases immersed in the sea emerged," added Fabio Corvo, the new president of the Regional Council of Engineers. At the core of the discussion were the funds allocated by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and how to spend them.

 The Assise, organised by the Order of Engineers of Trapani, its Foundation and the Regional Council - held the conference "The development of the Minor Islands: what sustainability?" which opened the debate on priorities and concrete difficulties to be solved with the 153.3 million euro allocated to the eight municipalities that group the 14 Mediterranean islands.

 "Favignana has 4,494 inhabitants," said Francesco Forgione, mayor of the Egadi Islands, "but in the summer months it registers 50 thousand presences a day. In the face of this, territorial continuity with Trapani is not guaranteed. It's shameful that the last hydrofoil leaves at 7.30 p.m.: those who decide for us have no idea of the isolation situation we have to face every day.”

 “The daily insularity is difficult to manage, it imposes limits that are not commensurable with the beauty, wealth and idea of progress preserved in these places.”

 From waste disposal – “we only have two lorries a day” - to healthcare (only one doctor to cover three islands, Favignana, Levanzo and Marettimo, and one seasonal nurse,) the mayor highlighted the infrastructural problems.

 "Mission 2 of the NRP aims at the green revolution and ecological transition," emphasised Francesco Amodeo of the Ministry for the Environment and Energy Security, who outlined the numbers of the Recovery and Resilience Plan.

 "For the distribution of financial resources, we have taken into account the size, population, and priorities of each municipality. The funds will support waste cycle management, … and renewable energy production. It is necessary to ensure liquidity in the municipalities' coffers and to provide professional human resources to support the technical offices engaged in the implementation of the strategic work plans. We have already transferred 20 per cent of the allocated funds, the challenge now is to meet the June 2026 deadlines.”

 Sicily ranks third to last in Italy, "in terms of the ratio of resources spent to inhabitants with 4.5 billion in investments generated by Superbonus," as pointed out by Domenico Prisinzano of ENEA.

 "We have put practical proposals and priority actions on the table," concluded President Corvo. "In Favignana, we have gone beyond tourism issues, because it is also necessary to turn the spotlight on the critical issues that hinder development and affect the life of a community that lives in the smaller islands 365 days a year.”

 “From the debate - moderated by La Sicilia journalist Mario Barresi - it emerged how important it is to respect the value and involvement of professionals in the implementation of sustainability principles to protect island territories, which are daily marked by limits that must be removed,” he added.

 eb