Lower House Speaker Laura Boldrini
said Thursday voting is a "great opportunity" that should not be
squandered ahead of an April 17 anti-offshore drilling
referendum.
"I think the day on which there is a referendum or an
election is always a good day," Boldrini said.
"It is a pity to deprive Italians of this right and duty".
Members of the ruling Democratic Party (PD) including
Premier Matteo Renzi appeared to encourage Italians to abstain
from the vote.
"Many countries don't have this opportunity. We must
increase participation and not discourage it".
"But voting is a great opportunity that mustn't be lost,"
Boldrini said.
The referendum has been called by regional councils
concerned about the effects of further offshore drilling on the
environment.
Italians are being asked to repeal a clause in the 2016
budget allowing existing drilling authorizations in territorial
waters to be renewed until all hydrocarbon resources in the
subsoil have been used up.
In the event of victory, oil platforms currently operating
in coastal waters would be required to stop production when
their permits expire.
The PD has described the vote as a "pointless" waste of 300
milion euros of taxpayer money and on Tuesday, Renzi said he
hoped the vote will "fail" because it would destroy 11,000 jobs
and force Italy to buy fuel from "the Arabs and the Russians".
Also on Thursday Boldrini, a former spokesperson for the UN
refugee agency UNHCR, slammed the EU for its recent migrant deal
with Turkey.
"Europe has shown great weakness and this is a stain on its
reputation," Boldrini said.
"The short-sightedness and selfishness of a few countries
prevailed and the EU surrendered, allowing the phenomenon to be
handled by others".
Under the deal signed last month the EU will accept one
Syrian refugee for every undocumented migrant returned to Turkey
after a failed bid for asylum.
The first groups of failed asylum seekers were deported
from Greece to Turkey on Monday.
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