Approximately 17 million contributions have already been paid to cover 6437 post-flood contribution requests. Another 3 million and 700 thousand euros are being paid in recent weeks and will satisfy a further 1433 requests for reimbursement for the damage suffered by the floods last November. The Tuscany Region took stock of the procedure for disbursing the 25 million intended to cover requests for contributions to citizens affected by the flood.
Refunds to citizens from 1 July
After the government’s allocation of 66 million for immediate support, the president Eugenio Giani as commissioner announced from July 1st the opening of the portal for the reporting procedure in which citizens and businesses will be able to enter invoices and expenses incurred and thus have access to reimbursements provided for by national provisions, up to 5 thousand euros for families and up to 20 thousand for businesses affected by the flood .
“We are happy – said the president – we have exceeded the threshold of 20 million compared to the 25 that we have allocated. It means that the requests for contributions are finally being successful. The activation of the platform from 1 July on the Region’s website will lead us to distribute the 66 million allocated by the government of which I am executive commissioner for families and businesses. They are contributions that can be combined with the 3,000 euros that families have received or are receiving, so families can immediately take action to obtain these 5,000 euros that come from the law decree.”
How to request a refund
From 1 July it will be possible to enter the invoices and receipts necessary to access the reimbursement on the Region’s website. Anyone with a refund request exceeding 8,000 euros will be able to request an advance of 2,500 euros which can be liquidated before the summer.
The details of interventions for the population
Specifically, there were 54 interventions for rescue and assistance to the population, for a contribution of approximately 4.5 million. 238 + 1328, the first provided by the service managers (including hospitals), the second by the reclamation consortia, local authorities and the civil engineering to compensate for extremely urgent works for a total of approximately 170 million euros . The positive fact is that all urgent matters are mostly concluded. But on the emergency sums the Government recognized 122 million against a request of 162 million. It means that 40 million are missing which will partly fall on the Municipalities already hard hit: “We are moving forward with the extremely urgent interventions – said the civil protection councilor in this regard Monia Monni- , the repair works of the damage that occurred on the night of the flood, 40 million remain which will be moved to reconstruction interventions; it means that the government recognizes the importance of these works, but has not recognized their utmost urgency”.
Then there is the issue of post-flood reconstruction of the territory. The interventions that would be necessary for this amount to approximately 1 billion reduction of the residual risk. But for this type of intervention there is no law, as for reimbursements, deciding whether to intervene or not is a political choice of the Government and at the moment there are no certainties of interventions.
“Blocked” requests
While on the one hand the requests in the preliminary phase are decreasing and to date there are 761 (last month there were 1123) and however there are 790 requests without an IBAN and without an IBAN it is impossible for the Region to make payments. Councilor Monni: “There are over 700 requests that have not been integrated with the Iban and clearly without the Iban we cannot make the payments. Check – he said – and integrate if necessary. For citizens who have not submitted their application within the correct deadline – he specified -, we will try to meet their needs, if the resources are available”.
Refunds and business support
The councilor entered into the merits of the reimbursement requests for businesses Leonardo Marras: ” The activities that we will ask companies for reporting and obtaining the contribution can subsequently also be used as an anticipation of a possible further reimbursement which we hope will occur thanks to further State funding. In this phase – added Marrassi – we recognize ourselves 100% of the amounts incurred, up to the amount of the damage, up to a maximum limit of €20,000.00″ .
For eligibility, applicants must have a regular DURC, be active (not terminated), not subject to insolvency proceedings (bankruptcy, liquidation), located in the flooded municipalities (hence the case of the company which in the meantime has changed headquarters and is no longer located in the flooded municipality and will not be admitted).
With regard to eligible expenses, these must refer to the damages declared in the C1 form (properties, systems, equipment, machinery, goods, stocks, in the case of an unusable location, the costs for the rental of temporary structures).
The expenses incurred must be proven. All payments must be tracked, cash payments are not permitted.
Other types of aid
Then there are other regional interventions on flooded businesses. On this front there is a call for investments for 5.9 million of euros, a program agreement signed between the Tuscany Region, the Ministry of Business and Made in Italy and Invitalia for 50 million. then there are the Government’s interventions through Simest, the company of the Cassa Depositi e Prestiti Group. Non-refundable contributions have been activated for all exporting companies, and for those belonging to a production chain with an export vocation and whose turnover derives from proven operations with companies directly operating in foreign markets, located in the affected territories.
The overall budget for the extraordinary measures which includes both the events in Emilia-Romagna/Tuscany in May 2023 and those in Tuscany in October/November 2023 is 300 million euros .
For companies affected by the flood in Tuscany, there is the possibility, as per the package of SIMEST measures under Fund 394, to allocate 90% of the financing to expenses for capital strengthening, as well as a reserve of 400 million euros and the possibility of accessing a non-repayable share of 10%.
