«We have signed 17 cohesion agreements out of 21, we are working on the other 4, clearly the remaining cohesion agreements are the most substantial, from here it also derives financially, from here it also derives a greater problem in identifying the solutions, the we do it with an institutional approach which is to find solutions in line with what the government has put in place with the reform of cohesion policy”. This is what was said by the Minister of European Affairs, Cohesion Policies, Pnnr and the South, Raffaele Fitto, in Naples for the Feuromed event, regarding the issue of Development and Cohesion funds on which a dispute is underway with the Region Campania: «The Development and Cohesion funds have precise purposes, I invite everyone to read the purposes for which these resources are given to understand that they are resources that are assigned to investments and therefore this is the theme. I think that the South in Italy certainly needs important events that will find their funding opportunities in multiple directions but what has been missing from the development of the South are the fundamental investments to change its perspective”. Fitto then added: «We are faced with an overall change in approach on this issue. Previously, resources were given without an evaluation of merit and everyone spent them as they saw fit. Today there is this comparison in which resources are given, there is a proposal, we compare it, make it compatible with other programs and evaluate the real spending capacity of these programs, of these resources. I say this without any polemical intent but the expenditure data from the previous programming show us very clearly how necessary it is to profoundly modify the previous system and this is the work that we are trying to carry forward”, concluded Fitto, who then responded remotely to the president of the Campania Region, Vincenzo De Luca, on the cultural events in the balance without the disbursement of funds”. The minister, still on the open question with Campania, explained: «There are no positions of those who have decided without reason to block something, there is a debate on the merits that continues and for each of the regions to which you referred there are substantive reasons that we are discussing and for which we will find solutions.” Finally, on the deadline for the agreements on the allocation of Development and Cohesion funds with the remaining Regions: «My deadline is the day before for all the programs so I have no difficulty with an approach so I would like to close everything yesterday evening if I could give you a I hope this is not the issue because if the debate turns into a debate in which there is a desire or otherwise to close”, concluded Minister Fitto
Tags: FSC funds Fitto controversy Campania collaborate
