Twenty-nine billion and seven hundred million to invest and report by 2023. Here is the updated objective in order not to spoil the programming of the European structural funds just as Italy is also called to spend the Next Generation Eu resources. The picture, highly inhomogeneous between regions but also between programs managed at ministerial level, was provided by the Minister for the South Mara Carfagna in a hearing at the EU Politics Commission of the Senate. A first step to clear up the backlog is set for June 30 this year, when the ministry expects to certify at least 2 billion.
In summary, the resources of the 2014-20 structural funds cycle (between the ERDF, the ESF and the Youth Employment Initiative) amount to 50.5 billion, of which 16.8 billion from national co-financing. As of February 28, 2021, commitments represent 77.4% of the total while the percentage of payments is still at 47.2% (23.8 billion). If we consider only certified resources, however, it drops to 43 percent. The intermediate goal at the end of 2021 is within reach, while the achievement of the final goal that the Commission has set for 2023: 29.7 billion to be reported is more worrying, the minister confesses. The fragmentary nature of the context, characterized by quite different performances, does not help: for the Pon (national operational programs) it goes from 75.7% of the Pon companies to 18.2% of the Pon legality; for the regions from 72% of Lazio to 23.2% of Sicily (ESF resources) and from 72.2% of the autonomous province of Trento to 31% of Marche (Fesr resources). To attempt an acceleration, a strengthened role, says Carfagna, will be entrusted to the Cohesion Agency, “even when it is necessary to substitute local administrations”.
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To deal with the pandemic, about 12 billion have been reprogrammed, earmarking them for emergency interventions and in view of the new 2021-27 programming, the ministry announces a stop to the practice of the POC, complementary programs, with very low percentages of progress, in which EU resources have been parked. For the new 2021-27 programming, the intention is confirmed to notify the Commission of the new partnership agreement immediately after the publication of the European regulations. There are 83 billion available including national co-financing, of which 24.5 billion are divided into national operational programs reduced from 13 to 10 with the addition of the Just transition fund dedicated to the reconversion of the areas of Taranto and Sulcis.
Referring to the measures financed with the additional resources of the React Eu program – 13.5 billion in total – the minister then said that companies that employ about 1.8 million workers have so far benefited from the 30% reduction operating in the southern regions. .
Brussels: avoid overlaps with the Recovery
An informal meeting of the ministers of the EU countries responsible for cohesion policy was also held yesterday. Carfagna brought the Italian position, favorable to the transformation of the Next Generation Eu extraordinary plan into a permanent instrument of economic stabilization. The European Commissioner with responsibility for cohesion Elisa Ferreira and the president of the EU Committee of the Regions, Apostolos Tzizikostas, raised the issue of synergies, or rather of overlaps to avoid, between the structural funds and the Next Generation Eu. Ferreira also proposed to apply a similar requirement to territorial cohesion to that adopted to avoid measures that cause damage to the environment: that is, to ensure that any project financed by recovery and resilience plans does not have negative impacts in terms of widening existing gaps.