In Sicily 4 Municipalities out of 10 are in financial crisis: the data from the Court of Auditors

According to the report to Parliament from the Section of Autonomies of the Court of Auditors, the financial crisis of local authorities in Sicily has reached significant dimensions. By the end of 2024, there were 253 crisis procedures activated, divided into 131 declarations of insolvency and 122 requests for balance restoration. Often, these come from the same entities: in total, 159 municipalities out of 391 are involved, affecting 40.7% of local administrations and directly impacting 62.7% of the resident population in the Region.

The negative trend continued in the first half of 2025 with the activation of six new procedures. Specifically, the municipalities of Acate, Giarratana, and Montelepre have initiated balance restoration processes, while Modica, Monterosso Almo, and Santa Margherita Belice have declared insolvency. Particularly emblematic are the cases of Modica and Monterosso Almo, whose insolvencies stem from the failure of previous balance restoration procedures. The situation is exacerbated by the high rate of recidivism: in 73 municipalities, more than one procedure has been activated over time. The greatest criticalities are recorded in five municipalities that have undergone as many as four procedures, with the extreme case of Palagonia, which has reached five.

The report from the Court of Auditors highlights the clear ineffectiveness of the financial balance restoration tool. Of the 122 procedures initiated by the end of 2024, 36 were still active, while of the remaining 86, only four had reached a conclusion. Although in the first half of 2025 Campobello di Licata and Tremestieri Etneo managed to close their procedures, the overall statistics remain severe. In Sicily, 61.4% of requests for balance restoration inevitably end up transforming into insolvency, either directly or through reproposals. The report highlights that for every municipality able to close the process, more than sixteen fail and fall into insolvency, often after long and exhausting periods of criticality.

In the analysis of the 131 bankruptcy procedures, it emerges that the majority, amounting to 73 cases, are still ongoing. Of the other 58 closed, excluding the case of revocation by the Municipality of Tortorici, it is noted that 22 are very old procedures, declared between 1989 and 1999. In the period between 2005 and 2021, 35 bankruptcies were archived, along with the six procedures closed recently during the first half of 2025.