Por funds, those difficulties that ballast spending in Calabria

The control section for European and international affairs of the Court of Auditors speaks of “significant difficulties in the ability to commit resources but, above all, to pay them”, which in the latest annual report puts the situation on a national level in black and white and regional. The phenomenon of difficulties “is accentuated in some regions of Southern Italy where the relationship between the commitment rate and the payment rate varies considerably”. A situation that could be the result of “a dystonia between good planning capacity and program implementation capacity”. In short, there is room for improvement also for Calabria, even more so in view of the 2021-2027 multiannual financial framework.
The analysis of the accounting judiciary – which concerns the trends relating to 2022 – focuses on structural and cohesion policies, on agricultural policy but also on the irregularities and frauds found. As regards the socio-economic cohesion policy, the Court verified the state of implementation of the Regional Operational Programs (Por) of the 14-20 cycle: as of 31 December 2022, the Por Calabria European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) presented a financial implementation of 1.8 billion planned by 48.9%, equal to approximately 909 million in project payments (1.3 billion in commitments); out of the 399 million from the European Social Fund (ESF), the percentage stood at 54.4%. Percentages increasing as of 31 December 2023: ERDF payments stood at 61.97% (1.13 billion), 63.91% of the ESF (245 million).