Southern Italy travels at a different speed from the rest of the country and "still shows no signs of exiting the grip of the crisis, weighed down as it is by structural deficits that show no signs of improving". These are the conclusions of the latest six-monthly report "Check up Mezzogiorno", produced by Confindustria and Srm (Studies and Research for the Mezzogiorno, a center connected to the Intesa Sanpaolo group).
“The imbalances – reads the document – concern the most diverse sectors of the economy and society of the South and are condensed into a value of per capita GDP 41% lower than that of the Center and North, as has been the case without appreciable changes for several decades at this part. Compared to the countries of the European Union of 27, the figure for the Mezzogiorno is over 31% lower. However, if one looks Region by Region, wider gaps than those related to the level of wealth alone are noted”.
Those of the South “are among the regions furthest from the targets set by Europe 2020, i.e. by the strategy for inclusive and sustainable growth, based on knowledge. Six of the ten regions with the highest European unemployment rate are in Southern Italy, as are four of the ten regions at greatest risk of poverty in the South. And, again, the share of expenditure on research and development in the GDP registers a modest 0,9% in the South, far from the EU-27 average (1,92%) and even more from the target set by Europe 2020 (3% )”.
As for southern industry, 95,8% is made up of companies with less than 10 employees. The analyzes were carried out by Intesa Sanpaolo on a sample of 6.500 company financial statements. The results confirm the high gap in terms of industrial management efficiency. Between 2007 and 2009, the share of companies whose economic and financial equilibrium entered a crisis grew from 11,7% to 29,9%. Estimates say that in 2012 almost half of southern companies will not have fully recovered the ground lost at the end of the last decade.
"From the analyzes of the Check up - observe Confindustria and SRM - important policy indications are obtained, starting with the urgency of intervening on contextual factors, translating as soon as possible into concrete measures the commitments announced several times by the Government since last autumn ( Plan for the South) to date (development decree and financial manoeuvre). A level of expenditure of the structural funds that slightly exceeds 10% of the 43 billion allocated to the South, as well as the progressive drying up of the Fas resources, cut by around 5 billion euro last year and, it is estimated, by a further 4 billion in 2013-14, they tell us that without a renewed commitment from the institutions, the Administration and the social partners it will be difficult to fill the gaps in the South and take the path of development permanently”.
At the same time “it is necessary to consolidate the shoots of vitality which, despite so many difficulties, are emerging in the southern productive structure. It is no coincidence that cooperative attitudes are gradually strengthening, as evidenced by the increase in the share of manufacturing companies that have resorted to the network contract to formalize cooperation agreements, which rose from 4,8% in 2009 to 6,7 % In 2010".
