President Meloni’s video message to 2025 Civil Protection General Assembly

Good morning everyone.

Thanks to the Minister for Civil Protection and Marine Policies, Nello Musumeci, and the Head of the Civil Protection Department, Fabio Ciciliano, for organising this first edition of the Civil Protection General Assembly. I believe this is a very valuable opportunity for discussion and dialogue among all members of the National Civil Protection Service, also and above all to identify concrete solutions to the problems Italy is called upon to address, both old and new.

Extreme events linked to climate change, the structural fragility of our land, threatened by hydrogeological instability as well as earthquake and volcanic risks, and the various emergencies we have experienced over the last years compelled us to reflect on how we can make the Civil Protection an increasingly effective and timely service. This led the Government to present a proposal to Parliament to reform the Civil Protection Code, bringing it more in line with today’s needs. Our goal is to boost and strengthen a model of which we are all very proud already, and which was created thanks to the intuition and foresight of Giuseppe Zamberletti, becoming a point of reference over the last 40 years at both European and international level.

We have also worked to provide the Nation with a simpler and clearer regulatory framework for dealing with the aftermath of a natural disaster. The ‘Reconstruction Code’, which has recently become law, establishes in advance who is responsible for what, ensuring all decision-making processes are fast and effective and setting clear time frames to overcome an emergency. I consider these regulations fundamental in order to say enough is enough to endless reconstruction work, to prevent depopulation in affected areas and to support their economic, production and social recovery.

While reconstruction is always a cost, prevention is always an investment. That is why this Government has chosen to put the focus back on a culture of prevention, starting above all with schools and young people. Understanding the vulnerability of where we live and knowing the correct way to behave in the event of an earthquake or flood is crucial. This is an ambitious challenge, but one this Government has not shied away from, thanks above all to the work of Civil Protection units and the Casa Italia department. Prevention is our primary goal, at all levels. This can be seen in our work in the Campi Flegrei (Phlegraean Fields) area, where we have swiftly intervened and are rapidly implementing a safeguarding plan, thanks also to an investment of around half a billion euro.

This General Assembly is being held at the same time as the anniversary of the earthquake in L’Aquila. This was another occasion when the Civil Protection Department played a crucial role, helping the residents of L’Aquila and the Abruzzo Region get back on their feet, precisely as it has done in the many emergencies our Nation has gone through. 16 years ago, we suffered a painful blow, but we were able to pick ourselves up again and come back stronger. L’Aquila has been reborn, and its rebirth is thanks to extraordinary teamwork, which makes us all proud. With a view to subsidiarity, this teamwork forms the basis of the Civil Protection system and must continue to be the path to follow and promote, in order to coordinate measures in the best way possible and guarantee certain and increasingly fast responses for citizens. The challenges are numerous, but we stand ready.

Thank you, and I wish you all the best with your work.