Luxury Development Approved Despite Negative Environmental Reviews; WWF Warns of Dangerous Precedent for ZES ProceduresThe WWF Italia has expressed "strong concern and profound indignation" over a luxury resort project at Cala Finanza - Punta La Greca in Loiri Porto San Paolo, Sardegna, arguing that the government authorization represents a dangerous precedent for circumventing environmental protections through Special Economic Zone procedures.The project, presented by Tavolara Bay S.r.l., involves transforming an area classified as "environmental safeguard" into a luxury tourism zone. Reports indicate broader plans encompassing approximately 100 hectares with five-star hotels, villas, golf courses, marina, shopping facilities and heliport. The development faces the Marine Protected Area of Tavolara - Punta Coda Cavallo. During the services conference, competent technical agencies submitted significant negative opinions regarding absent environmental and landscape assessments. Despite this opposition and formal objections from the Sardegna regional government, national authorization was granted through Special Economic Zone procedures and subsequently confirmed by the Council of Ministers. The WWF argues the authorization represents a "serious political and administrative forcing" that sends a "devastating message" to the country: that environmental constraints can be compressed, technical opinions ignored and landscape protection reduced to an obstacle to overcome. The organization warns the project risks becoming a "test case" for distorting Special Economic Zone procedures, transforming them from economic simplification tools into "preferential corridors" for interventions in fragile, protected territories. If this precedent stands, the WWF cautions, it will have "extremely heavy consequences" across vast portions of Italian territory, particularly southern regions within the national ZES.