Strengthened autonomy for Lombardy, Veneto and Emilia Romagna. This was discussed at the Council of Ministers yesterday evening, February 14th. A summit that is by no means simple and not conclusive. The two souls of the Government will have to be able to agree on one of the thorniest issues of recent years, trying not to hurt the moods of their respective electoral basins. Southern Italy on the one hand, which in the general elections boosted the 5 Star Movement to 32% (and which with Ministers Grillo-Health, Toninelli-Infrastructure, Costa-Environment and Bonisoli-Culture has already risen en masse against the autonomy) and Northern Italy on the other, a Northern League stronghold for decades, despite the Northern League - officially - having broadened its horizons to the rest of the country as well.
In the center three of the Richest regions of Italy who ask for additional functions to be financed through the transfer of a share of the IRPEF or other taxes produced in the area. Obviously, Thursday's CDM represents only a first step in the long process required for autonomy to become law and the path could be very bumpy.
But what exactly are Lombardy, Emilia Romagna and Veneto asking for?
DIFFERENTIATED AUTONOMY: WHAT IT IS
The requests of Veneto, Lombardy and Emilia Romagna they are intertwined with the Italian Constitution. In order to fully understand the contours of the question, it is necessary to take into consideration above all two articles of the Constitutional Charter: the number 116 and the number 117.
Article 116, in the third paragraph, provides that the State can attribute ordinary statute to the Regions particular conditions of autonomy technically defined as “differentiated regionalism” or “asymmetric regionalism”. Simply speaking, the Regions that enjoy this autonomy may have different powers compared to the others on the 23 matters - and here we move on to article 117 - over which the State and the Region have concurrent legislative competence, i.e. those on which the Region lays down the rules, but the determination of the fundamental principles remains reserved to the State . Not only. Greater autonomy can also be requested on some matters of exclusive competence of the State, such as "organization of justice of the peace, general rules on education, protection of the environment, ecosystem and cultural heritage".
For this to happen, however, it is necessary not only an agreement between the State and the requesting Region, but also the opinion of the local authorities concerned and the ok of the Parliament with an absolute majority of the components. Technically this process is called "enforced law".
STRENGTHENED AUTONOMY: WHAT VENETO, LOMBARDY AND EMILIA ROMAGNA ASK FOR
The theme of differentiated autonomy is back in vogue with i referendums held in October 2017 from Veneto and Lombardy (consultations without any validity, it must be emphasized). Emilia Romagna was then added to these two.
On 28 February 2018, the former Government signed with the three Regions three preliminary agreements relating to a possible autonomy. We have now reached phase two.
In this context, however, it should be emphasized that not everyone is asking for the same things. Lombardy and Veneto have asked for greater autonomy on all 23 areas of competence envisaged, also focusing on the "exclusive" management of many of them, requests that have embarrassed the competent ministries; Emilia Romagna, on the other hand, asked for more autonomy in relation to 15 subjects out of 23, preferring a strengthening of programming tools to exclusivity.
Between the most relevant matters at stake there are taxes and local taxation, health, infrastructure and transport, education and cultural heritage.
REINFORCED AUTONOMY: TAX MANAGEMENT
One of the most delicate topics, and it could not have been otherwise, is that relating to taxation. On matter, the Economy Minister Tria has given the green lightto a compromise which allows the three Regions involved to retain quotas of the Irpef produced in the area.
Il Undersecretary to the Mef Massimo Garavaglia and the Minister for Regional Affairs Erika Stefani explained that "the preliminary investigation with the Mef has been closed with an agreement that provides for the arrival at standard costs and needs starting from an initial phase calculated on the historical cost ”. Translated: in the first years the resources absorbed by the Regions will be the same as those paid by the State today for the same functions. In the case of Lombardy, for example, it is 5,6 billion.
After 3-5 years we will move on to "standard needs" based on the "efficient cost" of the functions assigned to each Region. However, if in the next three years it is not possible to identify the "standard needs" (which is not only possible but also probable), the total resources available for the new functions "cannot be lower than the national average per capita value of state spending for the exercise of the same functions”, which would guarantee a more generous participation towards the “three autonomous regions”.
ENHANCED INDEPENDENCE: HEALTH
As for health care, Emilia Romagna, Lombardy and Veneto have asked for full powers on the management of health personnel, including freelancers. Too much according to the Minister of Health who instead decided to give up six competences concerning:
- institutional set-up,
- organization of the hospital offer,
- expansion of the training network,
- abolition of the fixed ticket in the recipe and the possibility of providing for territorial tickets
- planning of investments in healthcare construction.
STRENGTHENED INDEPENDENCE: TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURE
Another fiery chapter concerns infrastructure and transport. Here the requests are quite ambitious: Attilio Fontana's Lombardy requests that concessions on various (many) highways, roads and railways pass into the hands of the Region, as well as the planning and control functions of assets, plants and infrastructures. Veneto essentially asks for the same thing. We are talking about hundreds of kilometers of motorways and railways that could pass from the State to the Regions, to which is also added the management of airports. The request has already met the dry No of the Ministry of Infrastructure Luigi Toninelli who, however, tries to mediate by offering the possibility of entrust the infrastructures "in house" to companies controlled by local authorities on the “Autobrennero” model.
The issue is also related toEnvironment given that Lombardy and Veneto ask to be able to decide in total autonomy on the infrastructures built on their territories (and on their environmental impact) including strategic works of national interest.
REINFORCED AUTONOMY: CULTURAL HERITAGE AND EDUCATION
Another battlefield, which has caused the hard stance of landscapers, intellectuals and supervisors, concerns the request to make regional competence over superintendencies and landscape assets.
Not only that, Lombardy is also asking for total autonomy in the management of human, financial and instrumental resources of various state assets. The most striking example? The Pinacoteca di Brera which could become "regional".
As far as education is concerned, however, the legislative power is requested over:
- organization of the education system,
- school-work alternation,
- apprenticeship,
- working relationships with staff,
- training,
- funding of private schools.
Updated February 15th at 8am
