Almost half of the ERDF funds, the European Regional Development Fund, have already been activated in the province of Bolzano, for the period between 2021 and 2017. This is the most important data that emerged during the third meeting of the Monitoring Committee of the ERDF, held in Laimburg, in the presence of the provincial councilor for Europe.
“The European Regional Development Fund has led to many tangible and visible results over the last 20 years, which have allowed the realization of valuable projects initiated by many South Tyrolean citizens”, underlined the councilor during her introductory speech.
Within the ERDF Supervisory Committee, representatives of the European Commission, the Ministries and the responsible structures of the Province collaborate with the economic and social parties involved. They evaluate the progress in the implementation of the program or determine the methodology and criteria for selecting the funded projects, the performance report and the evaluation plan.
Since the launch of the programme, 68 projects have been approved in various tenders. Overall, therefore, approximately 44% of the expected 246 million euros was used. The program has three main objectives: driving technological change (Smart priority), combating climate change (Green priority) and making mobility sustainable (Mobility priority). A total of around 95 million euros is available for research, innovation and digitalisation, while another 95 million euros are allocated to the energy renovation of public buildings and district heating networks, as well as the prevention of hydrogeological risks. Almost 48 million euros are available for projects in the field of sustainable and multimodal mobility. On 5 October 2022, the European Commission approved the ERDF program for Alto Adige 2021-2027, one of the first programs to be endorsed at national level.
As an example project financed by the ERDF, Volkmar Mair, director of the Geology and Material Testing Office of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano, presented to the members of the committee the works plan for rockfall protection in the Ronchi area, in the Municipality of Termeno. The project was carried out in two construction lots and involved the construction of valleys to protect against falling rocks, using recycled material. This work, in addition to the downgrading of the danger zone plan of the Municipality of Termeno, will create the possibility of development for settlement, production and tourism areas for the Oltradige area.
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