RISERVATO Sezione 01 del 04 NAPOLI 000.096 SIPDIS EO 12.958: decl: 2018/12/02 TAGS: PGOV ECON Prel BEXP SENV SOCI KCRM KCOR IT
OGGETTO: CAN CALABRIA essere salvato? REF: NAPOLI A. 36, B. NAPOLI 37, C. NAPOLI 38, 73 D. NAPOLI NAPOLI 00.000.096 001.2 di 004 classificate per: Patrick J. Truhn, Console Generale. MOTIVO: 1.4 (b), (d)
 ¶ 1. (SBU) Riassunto: Se non fosse stato parte d'Italia, la Calabria sarebbe uno stato fallito. La 'Ndrangheta sindacato la criminalità organizzata controlla vaste porzioni del suo territorio e l'economia e conti per almeno tre per cento del Pil in Italia (probabilmente molto di più) attraverso il traffico di droga, estorsioni e usura. Le forze dell'ordine è gravemente ostacolata dalla mancanza di entrambe le fonti e risorse. Calabresi hanno una reputazione come un lontano, persone difficili, e dei loro politici sono ampiamente considerati inefficaci. Gran parte della regione il settore è crollato sopra una decina di anni fa, lasciando l'ambiente e la rovina economica. La regione è all'ultimo posto in quasi tutte le categorie di valutazioni economiche nazionali. La maggior parte dei politici che abbiamo incontrato durante una recente visita erano fatalista, del parere che c'era ben poco che si poteva fare per fermare spirale economica discendente della regione o la morsa della 'ndrangheta. Pochi altri maliziosamente ha suggerito che la criminalità organizzata non è più un problema. Quasi ogni interlocutore si lamentava che la Regione manca di una società civile. In mezzo alla morte e distruzione, ci sono alcuni segnali positivi, quasi tutti da giovani. Questo più problematici della regioni d'Italia continuerà ad essere un peso per il paese fino a quando il governo nazionale dedica la necessaria attenzione e le risorse per risolvere questi problemi spinosi. Fine riassunto.
 ¶ 2. (U) Calabria, il piede e la punta dello stivale italiano, è afflitta da problemi apparentemente irrisolvibili. Durante una visita 17-20 novembre a tutte le cinque province, praticamente ogni interlocutore ha dipinto un quadro di una regione e corrotto governo debole, soffocato dalla morsa di ferro della più potente organizzazione più grande d'Europa occidentale e criminale, la 'ndrangheta. L'economia formale è nel caos, con un PIL pro capite solo la metà di quella delle regioni settentrionali e tasso ufficiale di disoccupazione oltre il 20 per cento. Nessuno crede che il governo centrale ha molto, se del caso, il controllo della Calabria, e politici locali sono uniformemente visto come inefficace e / o corrotti. Se la Calabria non facevano parte di Italia, sarebbe uno stato fallito. Catanzaro: "Siamo abituati alla criminalità organizzata" ---------------------------------------- ----- -----------
 ¶ 3. (C) Abbiamo trascorso la nostra prima notte nella capitale regionale e caotico squallido di Catanzaro, dove, dopo aver ripetutamente in calo le nostre richieste per un appuntamento nel corso di un anno, il Presidente della Regione, Agazio Loiero, infine, ci ha ricevuto. Loiero lamenta di immagine negativa della regione e ha osservato che la criminalità organizzata, relativamente inaccessibile mercati e le scarse infrastrutture contribuiscono a scoraggiare gli investimenti nella regione. L'elevata percezione del rischio di investire in Calabria ha significato anche i tassi di interesse più elevati per gli imprenditori. Tuttavia, Loiero non era in grado di offrire qualsiasi soluzione per le difficoltà della regione, diverso da un idea di fare prestiti a tassi agevolati a basso e medio a disposizione di piccole imprese con fondi strutturali UE. Quando il CG ha chiesto come Loiero immaginato che utilizzano il quasi 14 milioni di euro che l'UE ha stanziato per la Calabria, il presidente ha dato una risposta vaga e cambiò argomento. Quando il CG ha chiesto se la Sicilia, dove i cittadini 'e gli industriali' le associazioni hanno unito le forze dell'ordine in attivamente contro la criminalità organizzata, potrebbe servire da modello per la Calabria, Loiero ha risposto: "Noi siamo la vera isola."
 ¶ 4. (C) Abbiamo ottenuto una valutazione più pessimistici anche dal procuratore capo di Catanzaro, Antonio Lombardo. Lombardo ha fatto eco quello che avevamo sentito da altri ministeri per la difficoltà della lotta contro la 'ndrangheta: la sua struttura a base familiare e la mancanza di informatori rendono quasi impossibile da penetrare. Lui si lamentava amaramente per la mancanza di personale e risorse finanziarie in una provincia dove la criminalità organizzata sembra controllare quasi ogni aspetto della società. Solo 12 dei 18 posti di pubblico ministero sono attualmente occupati, e ci sono solo cinque magistrati anti-mafia, Lombardo ha lamentato che alcuni magistrati cercano incarico di Calabria e il giudiziario autorità centrali non lo considerano una priorità per riempire i posti vacanti. Ha aggiunto che il suo ufficio non ha nemmeno le risorse per un efficace programma di intercettazioni telefoniche. La criminalità organizzata non è considerata una situazione di emergenza in Italia, Lombardo osserva: "E 'un fattore stabile nel nostro paese di pianificazione. Siamo abituati a perdere parte del nostro PIL alla criminalità organizzata e il fattore abbiamo per la nostra economica". In Calabria è quasi impossibile per evitare di pagare l'estorsione o la collaborazione con la 'ndrangheta, ha proseguito, "Le persone sono vittime e complici allo stesso tempo." Pur non negando l'importanza dell'applicazione della legge, Lombardo ha detto che in un ambiente ideale dovrebbe avere un ruolo marginale. "Non siamo sostituto di una società civile e pulita e le imprese gestite bene". Vibo Valentia: una "società indifferente" ------------------------------------------ --- - NAPOLI 00000096 002,2 di 004
 ¶ 5. (C) Il Prefetto di Vibo Valentia provincia, Ennio Sodano, ha praticamente scritto la Calabria fuori. A suo parere, "la società calabrese è coinvolto" nel perpetuare una situazione irrisolvibile. "Gli imprenditori pagare l'estorsione, ma non si lamentano. Esse non pagare le tasse," ha detto. "E 'un problema culturale, questa società indifferente." Sodano era molto critica la mancanza di visione per la spesa dei fondi strutturali UE. Non fece le ossa del suo desiderio di trasferire fuori dalla Calabria alla prima occasione.
 ¶ 6. (C) Il sindaco di Vibo Valentia apparentemente spera il nostro incontro darebbe niente di più sostanziale di una photo op. Lui e la sua cricca divenne chiaramente a disagio quando il CG ha chiesto come la città sta affrontando il problema della criminalità organizzata, e ha continuamente cercato di guidare la conversazione su argomenti più superficiali. Il Presidente Provinciale non è stato molto più comunicativo, non parlare mai più di un sussurro.
 ¶ 7. (C) Il presidente regionale della nazionale ONG ambientali Legambiente, Nino Morabito, che ci ha incontrati a Vibo, ha opinato che la Calabria ha buon alcuni politici molto - e nessuno in posizioni di leadership. Come la Campania, la Calabria ha vissuto scarico illegale di rifiuti tossici sul suo territorio, ma perché la popolazione è più piccolo, spesso passa inosservato. Un sacco di rifiuti illegali entra in Calabria non via terra ma via mare. Una delle questioni Legambiente sta seguendo da vicino è l'onnipresente illegale costruzione quasi lungo la costa. La settimana prima della nostra visita, il rappresentante di Legambiente di Vibo Valentia aveva la sua auto data alle fiamme, probabilmente per intimidire lui da denunciare la zonizzazione rampante e le violazioni di costruzione che si verificano nella provincia. Era in grado di spegnere il veicolo bruciando poco prima del fuoco si diffuse a casa sua. "Ora ci ucciderà tutti" ---------------------
 ¶ 8. (U) La mattina del 19 novembre ci siamo recati alla città di Polistena per incontrarsi con circa 30 membri del gruppo "Ammazzateci Tutti" - "Ora Kill Us All", così chiamato a dispetto della 'ndrangheta a seguito della folla 2.005 assassinio del Vice Presidente regionale Calabria Francesco Fortugno. I giovani erano arrivati da tutta la regione per incontrare con noi. Fin dalla sua fondazione, Ammazzateci Tutti ha organizzato manifestazioni volte a regolare la pressione dello Stato italiano a prendere misure contro la 'ndrangheta, nel febbraio 2007, una manifestazione di protesta a Reggio Calabria ha attirato migliaia nelle strade. Uno degli organizzatori del gruppo, il diritto degli studenti Aldo Pecora, ha osservato che la criminalità organizzata e le società massoniche controllare praticamente ogni aspetto della società, compresi i sistemi economici e politici. Egli ha affermato che la 'ndrangheta può essere visto come le forze armate di potenti. A differenza di Cosa Nostra siciliana, ha detto, la 'ndrangheta ha stretti legami con strutture di governo calabrese. Il gruppo ha chiesto formalmente la CG per "salvare la Calabria". "Figli di Pitagora" -----------------------------
 ¶ 9. (U) La nostra tappa successiva è stata Crotone, sulla costa ionica, dove circa 2.500 anni fa, Pitagora insegnò matematica presso una delle università premier del mondo greco antico. Oggi Crotone è afflitto da rovina economica e ambientale, dopo le sue tre fabbriche di chiudere nel 1990, lasciandosi alle spalle le scorie industriale e un tasso di disoccupazione del 24 per cento. Il direttore del locale (Confindustria), degli industriali 'Federation ha sottolineato che Crotone ha il più basso reddito pro-capite di ogni provincia d'Italia. Il sindaco e il presidente consiglio comunale ci ha detto che la città sta cercando di incrementare il turismo attraverso la promozione del patrimonio greco della zona. "Noi siamo i figli di Pitagora," il presidente del consiglio della città ha detto con orgoglio. Ma i funzionari osservato che una maggiore pulizia dei vecchi siti industriali è un prerequisito; contaminato con milioni di tonnellate di zinco e di altri rifiuti industriali, questi siti archeologici sono di fronte ad una zona importante. Essi hanno espresso preoccupazione per l'aggiudicazione di un appalto per la pulizia, data la presenza pervasiva della criminalità organizzata. Nel nostro incontro con il presidente provinciale abbiamo notato l'innovativa tecnologia della società con sede in California, AdaptiveArc, che può essere la soluzione ideale per l'ambiente di pulitura di Crotone, e che già ha attratto potenziale in energia contratti dei rifiuti a Cosenza e Vibo Valentia. In serata, il CG ha affrontato la locale Rotary Club, ribadendo che gli Stati Uniti è un partner affidabile e impegnati in una vasta gamma di sfide dallo sviluppo economico alla criminalità organizzata, ma nessuno, ma i calabresi stessi possono creare una società civile nella loro territorio. Business Environment NAPOLI 00000096 003,2 di 004 ---------- -----------------
 ¶ 10. (U) interessi economici americani sono limitati. General Electric ha un impianto di piccole dimensioni (produzione di refrigeratori d'aria e condensatori di vapore) a Vibo Valentia, e il presidente provinciale auspica irrealisticamente per ottenere un secondo. Il generale manager esperti di uno dei migliori alberghi della regione ha trascorso due anni e oltre un milione di euro per ottenere le autorizzazioni per una stella Marriott Resort a cinque, sulla costa tirrenica, ma ha atteso per mesi, per un ministero a Roma, per spostarsi la carta necessaria. (Ambasciata di Roma sta assistendo.) AdaptiveArc gli impianti di gassificazione sono le uniche possibili altri investimenti all'orizzonte.
 ¶ 11. (SBU) Abbiamo avuto un incontro utile con i giovani imprenditori di Confindustria Calabria a Catanzaro, dove la CG ha spiegato molte delle iniziative della Missione per promuovere l'innovazione e la crescita. Purtroppo, con una previsione di presidente regionale di Confindustria Umberto de Rose è stato cancellato - la terza volta che ha perso un incontro con il CG. Il direttore locale Confindustria a Crotone ci hanno detto che De Rosa non ha assunto una posizione forte nei confronti di membri che pagano le estorsioni (a differenza di Sicilia, dove la Confindustria espelle quelli che lo fanno), perché li considera vittime che hanno bisogno di sostegno, anziché l'espulsione. Ha aggiunto che i successi forze dell'ordine non sono state così numerose in Calabria come in Sicilia, e quindi gli imprenditori non si sentono così audace. Un anno fa, quando il baricentro è incontrato con i membri di Confindustria a Reggio Calabria, e ha chiesto se erano disposti a seguire Sicilia guidare la, ha ricevuto una reazione decisamente nervoso.
 ¶ 12. (C) Il turismo rimane una delle speranze della regione, nonostante l'inadeguatezza delle infrastrutture (l'autostrada Salerno Reggio Calabria è in costruzione da decenni e collegamenti ferroviari da e per tutto al largo della costa tirrenica sono terribili), il degrado ambientale, e la criminalità organizzata. Un anno fa il CG ha suggerito che il Presidente della Provincia di Reggio Calabria parlare ai tour operator che rappresenta la nave da crociera in pieno boom industriale degli Stati Uniti, la cui migliaia di clienti regolarmente scalo nei porti della Sicilia, proprio attraverso lo Stretto di Messina, a circa compreso un giorno a Reggio per visualizzare il greco statue di bronzo pregiato e, forse, visitare il sito archeologico di Locri. La risposta del presidente è stata: "Che cosa è un tour operator?" Quando è stato chiesto da giovani imprenditori di Confindustria a Catanzaro come attirare i turisti degli Stati Uniti, il CG ha sottolineato la necessità per la regione per creare una identità turistica, un marchio che lo distinguono da decine di altre possibili destinazioni. Non del tutto Hopeless ----------------------
 ¶ 13. (C), nonostante le indubbie difficoltà di fronte alla regione, non tutto è morte e distruzione in Calabria. Durante il nostro 17 novembre stop a Cosenza, il CG ha discusso delle elezioni americane con un gruppo di intelligente, articolata e ben preparata studenti di scienze politiche presso l'Università della Calabria, uno dei pochi punti luminosi nella regione e in cui post ha stabilito un forte rapporto (l'università è anche lo sviluppo di un innovativo centro di trasferimento tecnologico, su cui il presidente della Regione Loiero sorprendentemente sembrava sapere nulla). La nostra ultima tappa, il 20 novembre nella città di San Giovanni in Fiore, è stato un inatteso e benvenuto raggio di speranza. La città fu patria di Gioacchino da Fiore, teologo medievale, il cui messaggio di speranza del presidente eletto Obama ha ripetutamente citato durante la recente campagna, che porta la città per invitarlo a visitare. Il notevole ottimista, dinamico sindaco era appena tornato dagli Stati Uniti, dove ha negoziato un centro di simulazione per addestramento per medici e infermieri con l'Università di Pittsburgh Medical Center (che già gestisce il grande successo centro trapianti ISMETT di Palermo). La città di 19.000, ma ha un attivo americano piccolo centro, dove il nostro guardiano AmCit serve residenti e visitatori, e dove la città offre lezioni di inglese per giovani e meno giovani.
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/2/2018
TAGS: PGOV ECON PREL BEXP SENV SOCI KCRM KCOR IT
SUBJECT: CAN CALABRIA BE SAVED?
REF: A. NAPLES 36, B. NAPLES 37, C. NAPLES 38, D. NAPLES 73
NAPLES 00000096 001.2 OF 004
CLASSIFIED BY: J. Patrick Truhn, Consul General.
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d)
¶1. (SBU) Summary: If it were not part of Italy, Calabria would
be a failed state. The 'Ndrangheta organized crime syndicate
controls vast portions of its territory and economy, and
accounts for at least three percent of Italy's GDP (probably
much more) through drug trafficking, extortion and usury. Law
enforcement is severely hampered by a lack of both sources and
resources. Calabrians have a reputation as a distant, difficult
people, and their politicians are widely viewed as ineffective.
Much of the region's industry collapsed over a decade ago,
leaving environmental and economic ruin. The region comes in
last place in nearly every category of national economic
assessments. Most of the politicians we met with on a recent
visit were fatalistic, of the opinion that there was little that
could be done to stop the region's downward economic spiral or
the stranglehold of the 'Ndrangheta. A few others
disingenuously suggested that organized crime is no longer a
problem. Nearly every interlocutor complained that the region
lacks a civil society. Amid the doom and gloom, there are a few
positive signs, nearly all from young people. This most
problematical of Italy's regions will continue to be a drag on
the country until the national government devotes the necessary
attention and resources to solving these thorny problems. End
summary.
¶2. (U) Calabria, the foot and toe of the Italian boot, is beset
by seemingly intractable problems. During a November 17-20
visit to all five provinces, virtually every interlocutor
painted a picture of a region of weak and corrupt government,
throttled by the iron grip of Western Europe's largest and most
powerful organized crime syndicate, the 'Ndrangheta. The formal
economy is in a shambles, with GDP per capita only half that of
northern regions and official unemployment rates over 20
percent. No one believes the central government has much, if
any, control of Calabria, and local politicians are uniformly
seen as ineffective and/or corrupt. If Calabria were not part
of Italy, it would be a failed state.
Catanzaro: "We Are Used to Organized Crime"
--------------------------------------------- -----------
¶3. (C) We spent our first night in the bleak and chaotic
regional capital of Catanzaro, where, after repeatedly declining
our requests for an appointment over the course of a year, the
Regional President, Agazio Loiero, finally received us. Loiero
complained about the region's negative image and noted that
organized crime, relatively inaccessible markets and poor
infrastructure combine to discourage investment in the region.
The perceived high risk of investing in Calabria has also meant
higher interest rates for entrepreneurs. However, Loiero was
unable to offer any solution to the region's difficulties, other
than an idea to make low-interest loans available to small and
medium enterprises with EU structural funds. When the CG asked
how Loiero envisioned utilizing the nearly 14 million euros that
the EU has allocated for Calabria, the President gave a vague
reply and changed the subject. When the CG asked whether
Sicily, where citizens' and industrialists' associations have
joined law enforcement in actively opposing organized crime,
could serve as a model for Calabria, Loiero responded, "We are
the real island."
¶4. (C) We got an even more downbeat assessment from Catanzaro's
chief prosecutor, Antonio Lombardo. Lombardo echoed what we had
heard from other prosecutors about the difficulty of combating
the 'Ndrangheta: its family-based structure and the lack of
informers make it nearly impossible to penetrate. He bitterly
complained about the lack of funding and personnel resources in
a province where organized crime seems to control almost every
facet of society. Only 12 of the 18 prosecutor positions are
currently filled, and there are only five anti-Mafia
prosecutors; Lombardo bemoaned that few magistrates seek
assignment to Calabria and the central judicial authorities do
not consider it a priority to fill the vacant positions. He
added that his office does not even have the resources for an
effective wiretapping program. Organized crime is not
considered an emergency in Italy, Lombardo observed: "It is a
stable factor in our country. We are accustomed to losing part
of our GDP to organized crime and we factor it in to our
economic planning." In Calabria it is nearly impossible to
avoid paying extortion or collaborating with the 'Ndrangheta, he
went on; "People are victims and accomplices at the same time."
While not denying the importance of law enforcement, Lombardo
said that in an ideal environment it should have a marginal
role. "We are no substitute for a clean and civil society and
well-managed businesses."
Vibo Valentia: An "Indifferent Society"
--------------------------------------------- --
NAPLES 00000096 002.2 OF 004
¶5. (C) The Prefect of Vibo Valentia province, Ennio Sodano, has
practically written Calabria off. In his view, "the entire
Calabrian society is involved" in perpetuating an intractable
situation. "Business owners pay extortion, but don't complain.
They don't pay their taxes," he said. "It's a cultural problem,
this indifferent society." Sodano was highly critical of the
lack of vision for spending the EU structural funds. He made no
bones of his desire to transfer out of Calabria at the first
opportunity.
¶6. (C) The mayor of Vibo Valentia apparently hoped our meeting
would yield nothing more substantive than a photo op. He and
his coterie clearly became uneasy when the CG asked how the city
is confronting the problem of organized crime, and he
continually tried to steer the conversation to more superficial
topics. The Provincial President was not much more
communicative, never speaking above a whisper.
¶7. (C) The regional president of the national environmental NGO
Legambiente, Nino Morabito, who met us in Vibo, opined that
Calabria has very few good politicians -- and none in leadership
positions. Like Campania, Calabria has also experienced illegal
dumping of toxic waste on its territory, but because the
population is smaller, it often goes unnoticed. A lot of
illegal waste comes into Calabria not by land but by sea. One
of the issues Legambiente is following closely is the almost
ubiquitous illegal construction along the coast. The week
before our visit, the Legambiente representative in Vibo
Valentia had his car set on fire, presumably to intimidate him
from denouncing the rampant zoning and construction violations
occurring in the province. He was able to extinguish the
burning vehicle just before the fire spread to his house.
"Now Kill Us All"
---------------------
¶8. (U) The morning of November 19, we traveled to the town of
Polistena to meet with about 30 members of the group
"Ammazzateci Tutti" -- "Now Kill Us All," so named in defiance
of the 'Ndrangheta following the 2005 mob assassination of
Calabria regional Vice President Francesco Fortugno. The young
people had traveled from all over the region to meet with us.
Since its founding, Ammazzateci Tutti has held regular
demonstrations designed to pressure the Italian state into
taking action against the 'Ndrangheta; in February 2007, a
protest in Reggio Calabria drew thousands into the streets. One
of the group's organizers, law student Aldo Pecora, observed
that organized crime and Masonic societies control virtually
every facet of society, including the economic and political
systems. He asserted that the 'Ndrangheta may be viewed as the
armed forces of powerful people. Unlike the Sicilian Cosa
Nostra, he said, the 'Ndrangheta has close ties to Calabrian
government structures. The group formally asked the CG to "save
Calabria."
"Children of Pythagoras"
-----------------------------
¶9. (U) Our next stop was Crotone, on the Ionian coast, where
some 2,500 years ago Pythagoras taught math at one of the
premier universities of the Ancient Greek world. Today Crotone
is beset by economic and environmental ruin after its three
factories shut down in the 1990's, leaving behind industrial
slag and an unemployment rate of 24 percent. The local director
of the Industrialists' Federation (Confindustria) pointed out
that Crotone has the lowest income per capita of any province in
Italy. The mayor and city council president told us that the
city is trying to increase tourism by promoting the area's Greek
heritage. "We are the children of Pythagoras," the city council
president said proudly. But the officials observed that a major
cleanup of the former industrial sites is a prerequisite;
contaminated with millions of tons of industrial zinc and other
waste, these sites are opposite a major archeological zone.
They expressed concern about awarding a contract for the
cleanup, given the pervasive presence of organized crime. At
our meeting with the provincial president we noted the
innovative technology of the California-based company,
AdaptiveArc, which may be the ideal solution for Crotone's
environmental cleanup, and which already has attracted potential
waste-to-energy contracts in Cosenza and Vibo Valentia. In the
evening, the CG addressed the local Rotary Club, reiterating
that the United States is an engaged and dependable partner in a
wide range of challenges from economic development to organized
crime, but no one but the Calabrians themselves can create a
civil society in their territory.
Business Environment
NAPLES 00000096 003.2 OF 004
---------------------------
¶10. (U) American business interests are limited. General
Electric has a small plant (producing air coolers and steam
condensers) in Vibo Valentia, and the provincial president
unrealistically hopes to get a second one. The savvy general
manager of one of the best hotels in the region has spent two
years and over one million euros to obtain authorizations for a
five-star Marriott resort on the Tyrrhenian coast, but has been
waiting for months for a ministry in Rome to move the necessary
paper. (Embassy Rome is assisting.) AdaptiveArc's gasification
plants are the only other potential investments on the horizon.
¶11. (SBU) We had a useful meeting with the Calabria
Confindustria young entrepreneurs in Catanzaro, where the CG
explained many of the Mission's initiatives to promote
innovation and growth. Unfortunately, an expected with regional
Confindustria president Umberto de Rose was canceled -- the
third time he has missed a meeting with the CG. The local
Confindustria director in Crotone told us that de Rose has not
taken a strong stand against members who pay extortion (unlike
in Sicily, where Confindustria expels those who do) because he
considers them to be victims who need support rather than
expulsion. She added that law enforcement successes have not
been as numerous in Calabria as in Sicily, and therefore
business owners do not feel so bold. A year ago, when the CG
met with Confindustria members in Reggio Calabria, and asked
whether they were prepared to follow the Sicily's lead, he
received a decidedly nervous reaction.
¶12. (C) Tourism remains one of the region's hopes, despite
inadequate infrastructure (the Salerno-Reggio Calabria highway
has been under construction for decades and rail connections to
and from anywhere off the Tyrrhenian coast are terrible),
environmental degradation, and organized crime. A year ago the
CG suggested that the President of the Province of Reggio
Calabria talk to tour operators representing the booming U.S.
cruise ship industry, whose thousands of customers regularly
call at Sicilian ports, just across the Strait of Messina, about
including a day in Reggio to see the prized Greek bronze statues
and perhaps visit the archaeological site of Locri. The
President's response was, "What's a tour operator?" When asked
by Confindustria's young entrepreneurs in Catanzaro how to
attract U.S. tourists, the CG emphasized the need for the region
to create a tourist identity, a brand that would set it apart
from dozens of other possible destinations.
Not Entirely Hopeless
----------------------
¶13. (C) Despite the myriad difficulties facing the region, not
everything is doom and gloom in Calabria. During our November
17 stop in Cosenza, the CG discussed the U.S. elections with a
group of smart, articulate and well-prepared political science
students at the University of Calabria, one of the few bright
spots in the region and where post has established a strong
relationship (the university is also developing an innovative
technology transfer center, about which Regional President
Loiero surprisingly seemed to know nothing). Our final stop, on
November 20 in the town of San Giovanni in Fiore, was an
unexpected and welcome ray of hope. The town was home to
Gioacchino da Fiore, the medieval theologian whose message of
hope President-elect Obama repeatedly mentioned during the
recent campaign, leading the town to invite him to visit. The
remarkably upbeat, dynamic mayor had just returned from the
U.S., where he negotiated a simulation training center for
doctors and nurses with the University of Pittsburgh Medical
Center (which already runs the highly successful ISMETT
transplant center in Palermo). The city of 19,000 has a small
but active American center, where our AmCit warden serves
residents and visitors alike, and where the city offers English
lessons to young and old.
¶14. (C) Comment: Throughout Calabria, we heard the same
laments over and over: the 'Ndrangheta calls the shots and
there is little hope for the region. The lack of optimism has
resulted in a continuous brain drain, with the best and
brightest young people emigrating to the North or to other
countries in search of opportunity. As was the case during our
previous visits to Calabria, we were struck by the lack of
vision and energy on the part of its politicians (see refs A and
D). Indeed, if Calabria's problems are going to be solved, it
will take a concerted effort by the central government to
reclaim the region as part of the Italian state. While law
enforcement successes (which so far have been modest) would no
doubt contribute, there also needs to be a revolution in the way
Calabrians themselves view organized crime, corruption and above
all civil society. We can help -- by encouraging the young
NAPLES 00000096 004.2 OF 004
members of Ammazeteci Tutti, by spreading our message of shared
values, and by implementing USG initiatives such as Mission
Italy's Partnership for Growth. In the absence of strong
government and institutions, we need to network with
non-governmental interlocutors; we productively used this trip
to identify an important array of new audiences. But unless the
central government gives greater priority to the region,
Calabria will continue to be a drain on the national economy and
a territory in the hands of extortionists and drug smugglers.
TRUHN
 ¶ 14. (C) Commento: In tutta la Calabria, abbiamo sentito gli stessi lamenti più e più volte: la 'ndrangheta chiama i colpi e ci sono poche speranze per la regione. La mancanza di ottimismo ha portato ad una fuga dei cervelli continua, con i più brillanti e giovani migliori emigrare al Nord o in altri paesi in cerca di opportunità. Come è avvenuto durante le nostre visite precedenti in Calabria, siamo stati colpiti dalla mancanza di visione e di energia da parte dei suoi politici (vedi refs A e D). Infatti, se la Calabria i problemi saranno risolti, ci vorrà uno sforzo concertato da parte del governo centrale per rivendicare la regione come parte dello stato italiano. Mentre i successi delle forze dell'ordine (che finora sono stati modesti) sarebbe senza dubbio contribuire, ci deve anche essere una rivoluzione nel modo calabresi stessi vista la criminalità organizzata, la corruzione e, soprattutto, della società civile. Siamo in grado di aiutare - incoraggiando la giovane NAPOLI 00000096 004,2 di 004 membri del Ammazeteci Tutti, diffondendo il nostro messaggio di valori condivisi, e attuare iniziative USG come l'Italia di partenariato per la crescita della missione. In assenza di un governo forte e istituzioni, abbiamo bisogno di creare una rete con gli interlocutori governativi non abbiamo utilizzato produttivamente questo viaggio per identificare una serie importante di nuovi pubblici. Ma a meno che il governo centrale dà maggiore priorità per la regione, la Calabria continuerà ad essere un salasso per l'economia nazionale e un territorio nelle mani di strozzini e di trafficanti di droga. TRUHN
TESTO ORIGINALE:
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 NAPLES 000096
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/2/2018
TAGS: PGOV ECON PREL BEXP SENV SOCI KCRM KCOR IT
SUBJECT: CAN CALABRIA BE SAVED?
REF: A. NAPLES 36, B. NAPLES 37, C. NAPLES 38, D. NAPLES 73
NAPLES 00000096 001.2 OF 004
CLASSIFIED BY: J. Patrick Truhn, Consul General.
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d)
¶1. (SBU) Summary: If it were not part of Italy, Calabria would
be a failed state. The 'Ndrangheta organized crime syndicate
controls vast portions of its territory and economy, and
accounts for at least three percent of Italy's GDP (probably
much more) through drug trafficking, extortion and usury. Law
enforcement is severely hampered by a lack of both sources and
resources. Calabrians have a reputation as a distant, difficult
people, and their politicians are widely viewed as ineffective.
Much of the region's industry collapsed over a decade ago,
leaving environmental and economic ruin. The region comes in
last place in nearly every category of national economic
assessments. Most of the politicians we met with on a recent
visit were fatalistic, of the opinion that there was little that
could be done to stop the region's downward economic spiral or
the stranglehold of the 'Ndrangheta. A few others
disingenuously suggested that organized crime is no longer a
problem. Nearly every interlocutor complained that the region
lacks a civil society. Amid the doom and gloom, there are a few
positive signs, nearly all from young people. This most
problematical of Italy's regions will continue to be a drag on
the country until the national government devotes the necessary
attention and resources to solving these thorny problems. End
summary.
¶2. (U) Calabria, the foot and toe of the Italian boot, is beset
by seemingly intractable problems. During a November 17-20
visit to all five provinces, virtually every interlocutor
painted a picture of a region of weak and corrupt government,
throttled by the iron grip of Western Europe's largest and most
powerful organized crime syndicate, the 'Ndrangheta. The formal
economy is in a shambles, with GDP per capita only half that of
northern regions and official unemployment rates over 20
percent. No one believes the central government has much, if
any, control of Calabria, and local politicians are uniformly
seen as ineffective and/or corrupt. If Calabria were not part
of Italy, it would be a failed state.
Catanzaro: "We Are Used to Organized Crime"
--------------------------------------------- -----------
¶3. (C) We spent our first night in the bleak and chaotic
regional capital of Catanzaro, where, after repeatedly declining
our requests for an appointment over the course of a year, the
Regional President, Agazio Loiero, finally received us. Loiero
complained about the region's negative image and noted that
organized crime, relatively inaccessible markets and poor
infrastructure combine to discourage investment in the region.
The perceived high risk of investing in Calabria has also meant
higher interest rates for entrepreneurs. However, Loiero was
unable to offer any solution to the region's difficulties, other
than an idea to make low-interest loans available to small and
medium enterprises with EU structural funds. When the CG asked
how Loiero envisioned utilizing the nearly 14 million euros that
the EU has allocated for Calabria, the President gave a vague
reply and changed the subject. When the CG asked whether
Sicily, where citizens' and industrialists' associations have
joined law enforcement in actively opposing organized crime,
could serve as a model for Calabria, Loiero responded, "We are
the real island."
¶4. (C) We got an even more downbeat assessment from Catanzaro's
chief prosecutor, Antonio Lombardo. Lombardo echoed what we had
heard from other prosecutors about the difficulty of combating
the 'Ndrangheta: its family-based structure and the lack of
informers make it nearly impossible to penetrate. He bitterly
complained about the lack of funding and personnel resources in
a province where organized crime seems to control almost every
facet of society. Only 12 of the 18 prosecutor positions are
currently filled, and there are only five anti-Mafia
prosecutors; Lombardo bemoaned that few magistrates seek
assignment to Calabria and the central judicial authorities do
not consider it a priority to fill the vacant positions. He
added that his office does not even have the resources for an
effective wiretapping program. Organized crime is not
considered an emergency in Italy, Lombardo observed: "It is a
stable factor in our country. We are accustomed to losing part
of our GDP to organized crime and we factor it in to our
economic planning." In Calabria it is nearly impossible to
avoid paying extortion or collaborating with the 'Ndrangheta, he
went on; "People are victims and accomplices at the same time."
While not denying the importance of law enforcement, Lombardo
said that in an ideal environment it should have a marginal
role. "We are no substitute for a clean and civil society and
well-managed businesses."
Vibo Valentia: An "Indifferent Society"
--------------------------------------------- --
NAPLES 00000096 002.2 OF 004
¶5. (C) The Prefect of Vibo Valentia province, Ennio Sodano, has
practically written Calabria off. In his view, "the entire
Calabrian society is involved" in perpetuating an intractable
situation. "Business owners pay extortion, but don't complain.
They don't pay their taxes," he said. "It's a cultural problem,
this indifferent society." Sodano was highly critical of the
lack of vision for spending the EU structural funds. He made no
bones of his desire to transfer out of Calabria at the first
opportunity.
¶6. (C) The mayor of Vibo Valentia apparently hoped our meeting
would yield nothing more substantive than a photo op. He and
his coterie clearly became uneasy when the CG asked how the city
is confronting the problem of organized crime, and he
continually tried to steer the conversation to more superficial
topics. The Provincial President was not much more
communicative, never speaking above a whisper.
¶7. (C) The regional president of the national environmental NGO
Legambiente, Nino Morabito, who met us in Vibo, opined that
Calabria has very few good politicians -- and none in leadership
positions. Like Campania, Calabria has also experienced illegal
dumping of toxic waste on its territory, but because the
population is smaller, it often goes unnoticed. A lot of
illegal waste comes into Calabria not by land but by sea. One
of the issues Legambiente is following closely is the almost
ubiquitous illegal construction along the coast. The week
before our visit, the Legambiente representative in Vibo
Valentia had his car set on fire, presumably to intimidate him
from denouncing the rampant zoning and construction violations
occurring in the province. He was able to extinguish the
burning vehicle just before the fire spread to his house.
"Now Kill Us All"
---------------------
¶8. (U) The morning of November 19, we traveled to the town of
Polistena to meet with about 30 members of the group
"Ammazzateci Tutti" -- "Now Kill Us All," so named in defiance
of the 'Ndrangheta following the 2005 mob assassination of
Calabria regional Vice President Francesco Fortugno. The young
people had traveled from all over the region to meet with us.
Since its founding, Ammazzateci Tutti has held regular
demonstrations designed to pressure the Italian state into
taking action against the 'Ndrangheta; in February 2007, a
protest in Reggio Calabria drew thousands into the streets. One
of the group's organizers, law student Aldo Pecora, observed
that organized crime and Masonic societies control virtually
every facet of society, including the economic and political
systems. He asserted that the 'Ndrangheta may be viewed as the
armed forces of powerful people. Unlike the Sicilian Cosa
Nostra, he said, the 'Ndrangheta has close ties to Calabrian
government structures. The group formally asked the CG to "save
Calabria."
"Children of Pythagoras"
-----------------------------
¶9. (U) Our next stop was Crotone, on the Ionian coast, where
some 2,500 years ago Pythagoras taught math at one of the
premier universities of the Ancient Greek world. Today Crotone
is beset by economic and environmental ruin after its three
factories shut down in the 1990's, leaving behind industrial
slag and an unemployment rate of 24 percent. The local director
of the Industrialists' Federation (Confindustria) pointed out
that Crotone has the lowest income per capita of any province in
Italy. The mayor and city council president told us that the
city is trying to increase tourism by promoting the area's Greek
heritage. "We are the children of Pythagoras," the city council
president said proudly. But the officials observed that a major
cleanup of the former industrial sites is a prerequisite;
contaminated with millions of tons of industrial zinc and other
waste, these sites are opposite a major archeological zone.
They expressed concern about awarding a contract for the
cleanup, given the pervasive presence of organized crime. At
our meeting with the provincial president we noted the
innovative technology of the California-based company,
AdaptiveArc, which may be the ideal solution for Crotone's
environmental cleanup, and which already has attracted potential
waste-to-energy contracts in Cosenza and Vibo Valentia. In the
evening, the CG addressed the local Rotary Club, reiterating
that the United States is an engaged and dependable partner in a
wide range of challenges from economic development to organized
crime, but no one but the Calabrians themselves can create a
civil society in their territory.
Business Environment
NAPLES 00000096 003.2 OF 004
---------------------------
¶10. (U) American business interests are limited. General
Electric has a small plant (producing air coolers and steam
condensers) in Vibo Valentia, and the provincial president
unrealistically hopes to get a second one. The savvy general
manager of one of the best hotels in the region has spent two
years and over one million euros to obtain authorizations for a
five-star Marriott resort on the Tyrrhenian coast, but has been
waiting for months for a ministry in Rome to move the necessary
paper. (Embassy Rome is assisting.) AdaptiveArc's gasification
plants are the only other potential investments on the horizon.
¶11. (SBU) We had a useful meeting with the Calabria
Confindustria young entrepreneurs in Catanzaro, where the CG
explained many of the Mission's initiatives to promote
innovation and growth. Unfortunately, an expected with regional
Confindustria president Umberto de Rose was canceled -- the
third time he has missed a meeting with the CG. The local
Confindustria director in Crotone told us that de Rose has not
taken a strong stand against members who pay extortion (unlike
in Sicily, where Confindustria expels those who do) because he
considers them to be victims who need support rather than
expulsion. She added that law enforcement successes have not
been as numerous in Calabria as in Sicily, and therefore
business owners do not feel so bold. A year ago, when the CG
met with Confindustria members in Reggio Calabria, and asked
whether they were prepared to follow the Sicily's lead, he
received a decidedly nervous reaction.
¶12. (C) Tourism remains one of the region's hopes, despite
inadequate infrastructure (the Salerno-Reggio Calabria highway
has been under construction for decades and rail connections to
and from anywhere off the Tyrrhenian coast are terrible),
environmental degradation, and organized crime. A year ago the
CG suggested that the President of the Province of Reggio
Calabria talk to tour operators representing the booming U.S.
cruise ship industry, whose thousands of customers regularly
call at Sicilian ports, just across the Strait of Messina, about
including a day in Reggio to see the prized Greek bronze statues
and perhaps visit the archaeological site of Locri. The
President's response was, "What's a tour operator?" When asked
by Confindustria's young entrepreneurs in Catanzaro how to
attract U.S. tourists, the CG emphasized the need for the region
to create a tourist identity, a brand that would set it apart
from dozens of other possible destinations.
Not Entirely Hopeless
----------------------
¶13. (C) Despite the myriad difficulties facing the region, not
everything is doom and gloom in Calabria. During our November
17 stop in Cosenza, the CG discussed the U.S. elections with a
group of smart, articulate and well-prepared political science
students at the University of Calabria, one of the few bright
spots in the region and where post has established a strong
relationship (the university is also developing an innovative
technology transfer center, about which Regional President
Loiero surprisingly seemed to know nothing). Our final stop, on
November 20 in the town of San Giovanni in Fiore, was an
unexpected and welcome ray of hope. The town was home to
Gioacchino da Fiore, the medieval theologian whose message of
hope President-elect Obama repeatedly mentioned during the
recent campaign, leading the town to invite him to visit. The
remarkably upbeat, dynamic mayor had just returned from the
U.S., where he negotiated a simulation training center for
doctors and nurses with the University of Pittsburgh Medical
Center (which already runs the highly successful ISMETT
transplant center in Palermo). The city of 19,000 has a small
but active American center, where our AmCit warden serves
residents and visitors alike, and where the city offers English
lessons to young and old.
¶14. (C) Comment: Throughout Calabria, we heard the same
laments over and over: the 'Ndrangheta calls the shots and
there is little hope for the region. The lack of optimism has
resulted in a continuous brain drain, with the best and
brightest young people emigrating to the North or to other
countries in search of opportunity. As was the case during our
previous visits to Calabria, we were struck by the lack of
vision and energy on the part of its politicians (see refs A and
D). Indeed, if Calabria's problems are going to be solved, it
will take a concerted effort by the central government to
reclaim the region as part of the Italian state. While law
enforcement successes (which so far have been modest) would no
doubt contribute, there also needs to be a revolution in the way
Calabrians themselves view organized crime, corruption and above
all civil society. We can help -- by encouraging the young
NAPLES 00000096 004.2 OF 004
members of Ammazeteci Tutti, by spreading our message of shared
values, and by implementing USG initiatives such as Mission
Italy's Partnership for Growth. In the absence of strong
government and institutions, we need to network with
non-governmental interlocutors; we productively used this trip
to identify an important array of new audiences. But unless the
central government gives greater priority to the region,
Calabria will continue to be a drain on the national economy and
a territory in the hands of extortionists and drug smugglers.
TRUHN
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