Todde (Sardinia): Defending territorial continuity and autonomy in renewable energy

Brussels – From defending territorial continuity to calling for regional autonomy over European funds: the President of the Sardinia Region, Alessandra Todde, commented on the impact of these issues on the island on the sidelines of the Committee of the Regions’ plenary session in Brussels. 

Regarding the effects of the recent energy crisis, the president categorically denied speculation that residents would face price increases linked to fuel costs. “The fare for Sardinian workers and citizens will not be increased by one euro,” she stated, describing reports of possible increases as “fake news.” Todde said she was willing to identify regional and national resources to support airlines in difficulty due to the geopolitical context, emphasising that the aim is “not to let a geopolitical crisis fall on the citizens“. 

With regard to Cohesion Policies, she expressed serious concern about the “risk of having to come under a national umbrella,” thereby losing autonomy over regional programming. Linked to this is the issue of insularity, on which the president called for a change of approach from the EU: “Having to renegotiate the continuity model every few years is intolerable, as the condition of being an island is structural and permanent: we will not cease to be an island in three or five years’ time. So we need to implement different policies and make provisions—including at the level of various treaties—for those who are always an island.“ 

When questioned about the recent controversy involving her and the Minister for the Environment and Energy Security, Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, Todde highlighted Sardinia’s substantial investment in renewables and asserted the Region’s authority over urban planning. “The Sardinian Regional Government has allocated one billion euros of regional funds to renewables, so there is no intention whatsoever to slow down renewables. What is unacceptable is that the central government wants to plan our territory. Our issue is not to slow down renewables; our issue is deciding where to put them, and we want to be the ones to decide where to put them.” 

Finally, regarding the Einstein Telescope project—a future underground observatory for detecting gravitational waves, for which the abandoned mine at Sos Enattos (Nuoro) was nominated to the European Parliament in late March 2026—the president confirmed the collaboration with Saxony—the other region in the running to host the new scientific site—and other European partners, announcing that the laboratory for the first prototypes will be inaugurated in July. The final decision on the facility’s location is expected by mid-2027.