The controversy over the Italian ability to succeed (or not) in spending all the money from the PNRR also affects the control room chaired by the Minister for European Affairs Raffaele Fitto. The projects to be implemented, for which negotiations are underway with the European Commission, also concern the REPowerEU. A series of environmental, energy and mobility redevelopment interventions that Municipalities and Regions need to do. In short, resilience. There is expectation for next Wednesday's information Minister Fitto to Parliament. There are 27 goals to review. Having overcome the hurdle of the restructuring of the stadiums in Florence and Venice due to the "non-eligibility of both interventions within the context of the integrated urban plans approved by the Treasury a year ago", the government is trying to release the 19 billion installment, almost a month late. The works in the two stages - already much criticized by Matthew Renzi in his speeches in the Senate - were not compatible with projects of greater public enjoyment. The prospect of urban regeneration excludes spending on structures of that type, which can only be used during sporting events. And the decision is all there. In the meantime, a good result has come from spending on culture. According to a study by the Association Civita Italy has used 70% of the resources available in this sector.
From the PNRR 40 billion to the Municipalities
The control room meets periodically in Rome, but sometimes it seems not to listen too much to what comes from territories. The President of Anci and mayor of Bari Antonio DeCaro in fact, it rejected any charge on delays in spending due to the fault of the Municipalities. “Italian municipalities know how to spend and they do it well,” he said. The reference is to the criticisms of recent days on the difficulties of local authorities to "put themselves on the fence", to use the words of the President Sergio Mattrellto. According to Anci and Anac, this is not the case. And we also need to change the executive's approach to the Municipalities. The updated official data on the progress of the tenders for the PNRR - according to Decaro - confirm that the local authorities have taken steps to open the construction sites. In the face of official numbers, the Anci wants to put a brake on discussions which could really cause delays in the implementation of the Investment Plan. Italy has completed 19% of the objectives foreseen in its national plan. “Of the 40 billion that the PNRR entrusts to the Municipalities - explained Decaro - which in any case represent only 19% of the total resources assigned to our country, as of March 7 of this year 31 billion and 700 million have actually been assigned”. Municipalities have already launched 35 tenders, committing 17 billion and 700 million. In practice it is 56 percent of the available resources put out to tender. A good trend for municipal administrations that "suffer from a lack of personnel and have had to overcome bureaucratic obstacles of all kinds in the last two years". The machinery of the Municipalities, therefore, is not guilty of the accumulated delays which call into question the concrete implementation of dozens of projects. Those on the circular economy, energy communities, urban furniture and sustainable mobility plans are the most qualifying for hundreds of mayors and millions of citizens. Not to mention that many candidates in next May's electoral round take those projects approved by the EU as a model of good administration.
The South exceeds the expenditure quota
Decaro says even more. “A further detail, which it is fair to underline, concerns the data on funds destined for the South, 44,6%, proof of the fact that the reserve established by Europe for the South of 40% has even been exceeded”. Numbers that undermine the opinion of an inefficient South that wastes money. Are the southern Municipalities and their offices (increasingly empty of staff) this time not the weak link in the chain? It seems not. It must be clear that all mayors remain the main players in the expenditure of the PNRR. The fact that at the end of 2022 the country had spent 80% of the 2014-2020 structural funds cannot be explained in any other way. Three years later between Rome and the territories there are still projects to be approved, tests to be signed, authorizations to be obtained, invoices to be paid. A negative European record. For this on the side of the Municipalities the PNRR must be something else. “This – adds the President of Anci – is the truth about the ability of Italian Municipalities to plan and spend. It may surprise those who were looking for those responsible for the delays in the PNRR in our area, but it doesn't surprise us, because we have always known that the Municipalities are the largest investors in public works in Italy". You just need to run more, but all together.
