Transport Crisis in Naples, Regional Minister Vetrella Statements

Regional Minister for Transport of Campania Sergio Vetrella has spoken today about disruptions in road transport in the city of Naples caused by ANM vehicles:

"The real reasons of the current ANM disaster concern the twenty-year centre-left administration, that, if combined with the ruinous management of the regional companies of the Eav group, was able to create an unprecedented economic abyss that can be compared with that one of Monte dei Paschi di Siena that is currently being discovered. This is why we trust the Court of Auditors to shed light on the years of business management that led to this real crash to the detriment of Naples and Campania citizens”.

"Statements by some representatives of the PD party and the CGIL trade union that blame the Regional Executive Board led by President Caldoro for this ANM crisis are incredibly ridiculous, deceptive and even more serious if considering that are used in the midst of the election campaign to hide real responsibilities of such a disaster. Instead of keeping on demanding once more my resignation, like a broken record, these people, they should resign instead, since they are accountable for such an uncertain situation of such an important company and considering that for us, exactly like the Municipal Executive Board, a huge burden lies heavy on our shoulders. They should beg the ANM workers’ pardon and say sorry to the Neapolitan citizens for the damage created. It is enough to think that the company Manager himself, during a meeting I called with all the transport companies, admitted he had a 120 million € exposure and 270 million € receivables by the Municipality of Naples. A quick examination of the ANM balance sheet, that can be consulted, shows in 2010 a total of 318 million € credits and 175 million € debts. As already done, I suggest once more, in respect of the workers and users, that credits and debts of the company over the last ten years are officially released, as we did for the regional companies”.

The Regional Minister carried on: "This huge abyss is combined with the last two year cuts of the Government for public transport resources, which have been creating big problems to Regions and Local Authorities. But Campania reduced the resources it is responsible for only by 15% in 2011 and by 4.5% in 2012, increasing fares to balance these cuts. I also point out that Regione punctually paid every two-month period the services performed, as required by the Law. And we keep on doing it, although the company has not been sending for almost a year the final reports of the actual travelled kilometres, in spite of several requests. And no debt has been verified that Regione owes to Anm, excluding current disputes still to be judged. Thus, concerning the disruptions that our citizens who use ANM services have been experiencing over the last months and today particularly, neither can Regione be held partially accountable for, since it is neither the owner of the company nor the holder of the transport services in the city of Naples and cannot be blamed for the company management.

Mr. Vetrella concluded: "Finally, please remember the stability law and the new rules with penalty criteria for those regions that will not prove in short time they have an effective and efficient transport system; this is why I pointed out several times, as coordinator of the Transport Committee in the Conference of Regions, to the Government the need to enable all public companies to submit bids, through a law that could allow to recover companies and ensure possible social interventions to protect workers”.