Il Circolo Enrico Berlinguer of Marsala is raising constitutional objections against proposals to convert the Vincenzo Florio Airport in Trapani-Birgi into a NATO training hub for F-35 fighter jets. Citing environmental risks, the local political circle argues that expanding military operations near the Stagnone Nature Reserve violates constitutional protections for public health, biodiversity, and Italy’s status as a nation that rejects war as an instrument of offense.
Marsala Environmental Group Challenges F-35 Base Plans at Birgi Airport
Constitutional Arguments and Environmental Concerns
The opposition centers on articles 9, 11, and 32 of the Italian Constitution. Article 9 mandates the Republic to protect the environment, biodiversity, and ecosystems in the interest of future generations. Article 32 establishes health as a fundamental right of the individual and a collective interest, which the group argues must take precedence over military infrastructure needs. Article 11 states that Italy repudiates war as an instrument of offense against the liberty of other peoples.
The circle points to the Luke Air Force Base in Arizona as a cautionary precedent. American parliamentary disclosures regarding that facility detail severe groundwater and soil contamination from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, which are linked to firefighting foams and military training activities. While local reporting indicates no similar contamination has been detected at the Trapani base to date, the organization warns that military servitudes and a lack of transparency historically lead to permanent ecological damage.
Precedents in Italian Military Sites
To support its warnings regarding unmonitored militarization, the Marsala group highlights domestic precedents. Past military installations in Sardinia, specifically the firing ranges at Salto di Quirra and Capo Teulada, became the subjects of extensive judicial proceedings regarding environmental degradation and public health impacts on nearby communities. According to the organization, these sites demonstrate how uncontrolled defense activities can compromise local water resources, agricultural land, and surrounding ecosystems.
Call for Transparency and Public Mobilization
In response to the F-35 hub proposal, Il Circolo Enrico Berlinguer is launching a public information campaign to urge residents and social organizations in western Sicily to demand total transparency. The group advocates for mandatory preventative environmental monitoring and an immediate halt to the military expansion of the Trapani airport, contrasting the industrial conversion with the region’s existing identity as an ecological, cultural, and tourist destination centered on the Stagnone lagoon.
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