Brussels suspends the payment of 130 million euros of POR funds to the Calabria Region. Programming in individual Member States is also defined by partnership agreements between the European Commission and the Regions (through POR funds).

I 130 million in question also went to cover the works for the Lorica ski resort (location a 1,315 meters high) also called “Lorica Hamata in Sila Amena”, the redevelopment operations of Piazza Bilotti in Cosenza and the Scalea airfield. Three works ended up at the center of the investigation “Wastelands” by the Catanzaro DDA, investigation he had been in the governor of the Region himself was involved, Mario Oliverio of the Democratic Party, ended up under compulsory residence.
 
But the problem is Oliverio. Even if some managers have changed most of the Calabrian technical authorities involved in the management of the funds are investigated in “Wastelands”.
And the managers who manage the POR 2014/2020 they are mostly the same ones who also managed the POR 2007/2013, on which the cases fall. So as a precaution Brussels sent a letter deciding to suspend payments for 6 months also to better understand what has been certified.
The letter explicitly mentions "Wastelands" by the DDA.
“They were announced crimes”, explained the chief prosecutor of Catanzaro Nicola when the investigation exploded Gratteri, “It's sad, I see this ritual that continually occurs here in Calabria…this Calabria that continues to be, alas, north Africa”. And Gratteri again: “They claimed to have completed the ski slopes but there was only dirt”.
 
The freezing of financing becomes a major problem. The resource management authority, that remains the EU, sent the document to Calabria asking for a series of clarifications, listed by the director general of the Regional and Urban Policy Department of the European Commission Marc Lemaìtre. Clarifications that could reassure the EU and restart the funds, if the framework was in order. The EU asks to carry out accurate checks on the truthfulness and other interventions including reviewing the declarations on the progress of the work, on the possible completion of these and provide a report that includes the detailed status of each infrastructure and public work admitted to ERDF co-financing (European Regional Development Fund).
 
The local authority certifying the current situation should confirm that any expenditure deemed irregular will be deducted from the funding programme, also explaining how it intends to intervene on any identified irregularities.
The EU also asks if the Region confirms "the withdrawal of the 'Scalea Airfield' project", and "the exclusion of operations on Lorica and Piazza Belotti". Finally, inviting local authorities to warn the beneficiaries of the funds that they could have "negative consequences" given the failure to disburse the funds.
Among the levels activated by the EU, a control could now be triggered with the sending of inspectors.

 
If the measures required if they are not followed, the risk for the Calabria Region is to see payments permanently blocked.
On Tuesday the issue exploded in the regional council because the members of the opposition were in possession of Marc Lemaìtre's letter and asked Oliverio for explanations.
These, present in the classroom, in his speech he only made a vague reference to the letter, maintaining that it refers to the programme 2007/2013, management prior to his mandate. Fausto Orsomarso of Fratelli d'Italia commented on the case to Affaritaliani:
“We are not going into the legal matter but having heard of this letter we contest the triumphalistic numbers constantly used by Oliverio to describe his work. We also have doubts about the impact that the works in question have on the territory”.