Change the PNRR because now we have the war emergency? Closing on the afternoon of May 28 in Manduria (Taranto), Forum in Masseria, hosted by Bruno Vespa, Luigi Di Maio, Foreign Minister, acknowledges those who say that with the consequences of the conflict in Ukraine, “more resources will be needed in the various programs”, but in the meantime, «let’s show that we are a team and bring home all the funds. If we succeed with the mechanisms of public private participation, we will not spend the 200 billion received but much more ”. “We must move in the wake of the current NRP,” recommends the minister.
«With the agreement on the Competition bill and the path on the tax authorities – Di Maio notes – we are in good condition to keep the commitments made. We must keep attention on the solid points and the solid points are these two reforms ». «Today – continues Di Maio – we are able to honor our commitments and respect the objective of June 30th. We are not just looking at June 30th. We have to look at the whole path ». Regarding the risk of a government crisis, the foreign minister maintains that «a Papete 2, revenge, costs us 200 billion and blocks the PNRR. Conte has made it clear that he does not intend to. But I see that this debate is done with a certain lightness ». According to Di Maio, the Pnrr method, that is linking the objectives to the results, “otherwise I will not give you the funds”, makes this plan “compatible with the working method of a company, precisely objectives and results”. “The parties and the Parliament have shown great responsibility,” adds Di Maio about the latest agreements in the majority. For Di Maio, however, «there is a need for another substantial injection of liquidity, 200 billion, which is used to convert infrastructures and focus on renewables. In the immediate future, we are committed to diversifying energy sources ». Di Maio points out that “diversification is not about linking ourselves to another country. It doesn’t have to work that way. We have reached energy partnerships with many countries in recent weeks. It is called ecological transition precisely because it takes time to reach the goal ». And even if the war has changed the scenario, Di Maio said, “we must not let our guard down on carbon neutrality in 2050 and renewable sources”.
Decaro (Anci): tenders already published or awarded
Antonio Decaro, mayor of Bari and president of Anci, brings the voice of the municipalities to the Vespa Forum. And speaking of whether or not it is appropriate to change the NRP due to the impact of the war, Decaro observes: “By now the guidelines and actions that finance the Municipalities are exhausted”, in the sense that “the tenders have either been awarded or published. All resources will be assigned by June ». «Rather, a problem arises with respect to the costs that increase, those of energy and those of raw materials – explains Decaro – so we will have to make choices. There will be some interventions that will necessarily have to be remodeled because the resources are the same if no further complementary resources arrive from the State ». For Decaro, «other interventions cannot be remodeled and therefore we risk not being able to carry them out».
According to the president Anci, the PNRR “will also serve to fill many imbalances that are not only North-South. By being the representative of the National Association of Municipalities in recent years, I have understood that there are also imbalances between the internal areas of our country and the other regions. There are also imbalances in the regions, I am thinking of the smaller municipalities in Piedmont ». According to Decaro, “the PNRR will certainly help us to make up for these gaps and it is the only opportunity we have”. Meanwhile, the president Anci warns, «the amount of resources that arrive is really important, 40 billion euros between NRPs and resources from the new programming for European funds. Programming that starts immediately while we are spending the previous resources ».
The knot of recruitment in the municipalities
«The problem is the recruitment – says the representative of the Italian mayors -. We have the opportunity to do them but not in sufficient numbers to recover the personnel we have lost in recent times. We are talking about 20 percent of the organic endowment of the municipalities. But we can also make some assumptions in derogation from those that are the stakes in force since 2009. There will then be the possibility of hiring for each individual project, which is the most important thing ».