ROME — «The devolution of further competences to the Italian regions entails risks for the cohesion and public finances of the country». The European Commission rejects it without appeal the bill on differentiated autonomy. And he does it in the same hours as the final vote in the Chamber, making known the “Annual Report on National Economies”. Report that dedicates a paragraph specifically to Calderoli bill referring to the text that had been approved in the Senate, clearly, but which in a nutshell was confirmed in the House.
Yesterday the Commission announced the “Country report 2024” with recommendations on “Italy’s economic, social, employment, structural and budgetary policies”. In the paragraph on reforms here is the jab at the differentiated autonomy desired by the Meloni government and since yesterday law awaiting the signature of the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella. The Commission writes: «In January 2024 the Senate approved the law for the implementation of the differentiated levels of autonomy of the ordinary statute regions, which will be able to request up to 23 additional skills and retain the corresponding resources. The bill includes some safeguards for public finances, such as periodic assessments of regional fiscal capacities and requirements for regional contributions to achieve national fiscal goals. However, although it assigns specific prerogatives to the government in the negotiation process, it does not provide any common framework for evaluating regional requests for additional expertise.”
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The Commission is therefore concerned about the increase in inequalities that the autonomy planned in this way risks bringing to the country: «The regions will be able to request additional skills – we read in the report – only once the corresponding “essential levels of services” have been defined. Since the LEPs only guarantee minimum levels of services and do not concern all sectors, there is still a risk of increasing regional inequalities.”
But it is precisely about the future of Italy’s institutional architecture and the maintenance of accounting balances that the Commission has fears: «The devolution of additional powers to the regions on a differentiated basis would also increase institutional complexity, entailing the risk of higher costs both for both the public and private sectors.”
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The report reiterates the alarm raised by Italian research bodies, such as Svimez, on the topic of the greater investments that would be necessary to allow the South to compete with other areas of the country: «The administrative and technical capabilities of public administrations remain an obstacle critical for the development of the southern regions – the dossier continues – as noted by Svimez on the Pnrr”.
The Commission applauds the actions of the Meloni government which instead go in the opposite direction to autonomy: «Some initiatives adopted at national level indicate greater central coordination of political action, in particular for the South. In general, an industrial and development strategy for the South would improve the added value of investments”.
