ROME. The push of the PNRR to post-earthquake reconstruction. At the conference organized by the diocese of Rieti at the Santa Scolastica Auditorium, the commissioner for the reconstruction of the 2016 earthquake in central Italy, Giovanni Legnini highlights that “the problems these territories suffer from arise from afar, and the 2016 earthquake unfortunately aggravated them “. And he adds: «With the national PNRR and the specific fund dedicated to the earthquake areas of the central Apennines (the only territorial program of the great national recovery and resilience plan) today we have a great opportunity to face them and start giving concrete answers. we have one billion and 780 million euros to encourage the investments necessary for the requalification of infrastructures, to achieve the objectives of the ecological and digital transition, to support the work of young people and women, and social inclusion “.
Resources available
Legnini continues: «A large part of these funds will be made available to businesses and universities, but most of the resources are available to local administrations. As regards Rieti and Rieti, on the proposal of the Lazio region, important interventions have been planned. That is the research and advanced training center, the one for the conservation and restoration of cultural heritage, part of the resources for the recovery of the old hospital, the hydrogen train, the restyling of railway stations, interventions for urban regeneration or traffic . to the administrations “, therefore, underlines the commissioner for the reconstruction of the earthquake of six years ago,” a great effort is required to strengthen the implementation capacity of these projects. Whether this plan will succeed in affecting the worrying dynamics of the past will also depend a lot on them. On our part, there is the utmost willingness to support this commitment and that of the Regions.
Socio-economic survey
Politics as a form of charity. Social and economic investigation as a tool for the common good. The sharing of information is a ground for human and cultural exchange. These are the principles that guide the working group of RiData, the socio-political observatory of the diocese of Rieti which presented, during a public meeting, an articulated analysis on the conditions of the Rieti territory, entirely derived from public data and reports from research institutes national. Two reports were offered by the Observatory in response to the question that raised the theme at the conference: “How much does Rieti count?”. The first was entrusted to the expert in economic forecasts Roberto Morea, who investigated various aspects of local development in terms of digitization, social and environmental sustainability, infrastructures and business capacity. From the data emerged the image of a not very competitive territory, at the bottom of the national rankings also in terms of waste management capacity and energy conversion choices.
Containment of frailties
The best performances are recorded in the containment of frailties and in the ability to guarantee adequate levels of security, the worst in the municipal administrative capacity, which shows high levels of expenditure against a low level of services provided. A theme, the latter, connected to the second presentation, which saw Pierpaolo Berrettoni illustrate a report developed together with Daniela Mastroiaco and obtained from OpenCoesione data. The survey focused on the use of public funds by companies and administrations in the Province of Rieti, looking for clues on the ability to be able to respond to the challenges posed by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The 1267 projects of the 2014-2020 cycle were taken into consideration. Mostly completed, 86% of them concern the use of resources in employment and labor mobility. A fact that highlights the industrial crisis of recent years and the fatigue of the local production system in relocating and training the workforce. The rest of the initiatives concern social inclusion, the digital agenda, and the competitiveness of businesses, but with little intervention in terms of research and innovation.
Project size
A relevant factor is the small size of the majority of projects. 96% relates to initiatives of less than 100,000 euros; 86% were funded with less than 10,000. New analyzes by the Observatory will be addressed on the ability of these investments to promote economic and social development. For his part, Legnini investigated the possibilities that the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and the complementary resources dedicated to the areas of the earthquake make available in response to the critical issues that emerged. In fact, many resources concern investments to be made in terms of infrastructure, ecological transition, digitalisation, social inclusion and business support. As far as the capital is concerned, the research and advanced training center, the theme of conservation and restoration of cultural heritage, the recovery of the old hospital in the heart of the historic center, mobility by rail and road were mentioned. In general, as a large part of the resources available to local administrations, the need to strengthen their capacity to implement projects was underlined.
Overcoming self-pity
IBishop Domenico Pompili concluded the work by stressing the need to overcome a certain resignation that permeates the territory, in order to make central Italy “a hub and not a plug”. The prelate urged to insist on the modernization process of physical and digital infrastructures, focusing on works such as the completion of the Rieti Torano, the need to build the “railway of the two seas”, the opportunity linked to the construction of two new hospitals. Parts of a possible and sustainable development if accompanied by a coherent and obstinate vision in wanting to bring home the result.