UGO DE SIERVO

Sturzo e la realizzazione delle regioni

N. 149

Summary — Luigi Sturzo is regarded as one of the major supporters of the opportunity to introduce the Regions in the Italian constitutional system, but too often only his contribution during the pre-fascist period is taken into consideration.

On the contrary Sturzo, in the years following World War II, updates his own proposals concerning Regions and takes part actively in the debate which brings first to the adoption of the special Statute for Sicily and then to the provisions regarding Regions in the Constitution. He succeeds in exerting a significant influence on the decisions taken, both participating personally in the debate and also through the work of some reliable experts. But he was only moderately satisfied with the result owing to the limited powers attributed, to the great number of restrictions on regional autonomy and to the persisting excessive administrative and political uniformity: remarkable appears indeed the capacity of the elderly political exponent to value with realism and precision the consequences of a whole series of constitutional provisions laid down to limit the Regions’ autonomy. In front of the strong tendency during the following years to postpone the positive institution of the ordinary Regions and in any case to submit them to further heavy limits, he intervened many times with a polemic spirit in defence of a strong model of regionalism, capable of contributing to a different model of State, with more participation and debates.

The consideration of the action and of the works of this period allows to submit to a critical revision a whole series of reconstructions rather stereo-typed and in any case not convincing about the regionalism of Sturzo.