(Arv) Venice 17 April. 2024 – Three new bills have passed the scrutiny of the Council of Local Autonomous Authorities, the ‘parliament’ of local authorities in the Veneto called to express an advisory opinion to the regional legislative assembly on measures that have an impact on local administrations. The Veneto Cal, meeting via videoconference, gave its green light to plan no. 246, presented by Forza Italia, which aims to establish the “Veneto forest bank” in order to encourage the use of biomass for energy purposes and to support the industrial and construction wood supply chain. The bank – in the text presented – is a tool for surveying and valorising public and private forestry properties, including silent and abandoned ones, and for promoting forestry associations, with a view to strengthening green areas as an environmental lung and encouraging wood-renewable energy supply chain also through the recovery of cuttings, prunings and residues from wood processing. The representatives of the Council of Autonomies suggested that the census operation to establish the future forest bank could take place through supply chain agreements with private individuals and not burden the reduced financial resources of local administrations. Cal therefore paid particular attention to the contents of the framework bill for young people under 35 and future generations (pdl 247) presented by ‘The Veneto we want’ and which comes alongside another legislative initiative presented by the majority: among the concrete measures the text of the law proposes subsidized tariffs for public transport, the reservation of at least 7 percent of public residential housing to be allocated to young people and young couples, subsidized interest rate mortgages, benefits for housing owners rented to students, tax breaks for young people returning from abroad, scholarships for new graduates in the region, as well as tools for direct participation and proposals by young people in the life of local administrations. The Council of Local Authorities expressed its appreciation for the legislative initiative and hoped that the two bills on young people under consideration by the Council could proceed with a combined examination, in order to be able to approve a single text for the young. Finally, a positive opinion is also given to the Council’s bill “Provisions regarding the attraction of investments in Veneto” which intends to encourage the establishment and development of national and foreign companies through programmatic and territorial agreements, tax breaks, structural incentives, support to research, development and innovation activities, as well as tools for simplification and promotion of digitalisation. The text of the law envisages an overall financial commitment of 27 million euros in the current year and 17 million in 2025, to be covered with ERDF funds. Lastly, the Cal ruled in favor of the budget change proposed by the Council to deal with the remodulation of the deadlines of community programming by finding the 14 million and 150 thousand euros necessary to launch the community tenders among the various chapters of the regional budget forecast for 2024: a ‘loan’ operation between budget chapters which, if approved by the end of the month, will be able to guarantee an impact of around 80 million euros on the Veneto territory and cover the budgeted expenditure step for the Milan-Cortina winter games 2026. A recommendation has been received from Cal: that the loan be temporary, so that the budget items affected can recover the spending capacity budgeted at the beginning of the year.
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