Italian Government signs Cohesion Agreement with the Campania Region, allocating EUR 3.5 billion

The President of the Council of Ministers, Giorgia Meloni, signed the Cohesion Agreement for the Campania Region at Palazzo Chigi today, together with President of the Region Vincenzo De Luca.  

The Agreement allows a total of EUR 3,478 million in national resources to be allocated to the Campania Region, from both the 2021-2027 Development and Cohesion Fund and the Revolving Fund, for strategic investments for local citizens and businesses.

Today’s signing is the result of an intensive process involving the organisational units of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, coordinated by the Minister for European Affairs, Southern Italy, Cohesion Policy and the NRRP, Raffaele Fitto, working in synergy with the regional authorities and central government bodies in charge of each area, in order to identify project priorities, committing to completion schedules. The fact there are set deadlines for using the funds, which will be withdrawn if said deadlines are not met, is the key element of the national cohesion policy reform introduced by the Government in September 2023, the purpose of which is also to overcome Italy’s historically limited spending with regard to cohesion funds. 

“With today’s signing, we have completed the nineteenth Cohesion Agreement – stated President Meloni – in fact, in just under a year since the Government introduced its cohesion policy reform, we have signed these agreements with Italy’s two Autonomous Provinces and almost all Regions, allocating EUR 22.6 billion for investments, especially in infrastructure, with the aim of reducing the historical regional disparities that characterise our nation.
These measures will significantly improve quality of life for citizens of the Campania Region as well as the competitiveness of the local production fabric, with the goal of speeding up the Region’s growth and development path and its ability to make the most of national resources allocated to cohesion policy”.

Today’s agreement completes the framework of measures undertaken by the Government for the Campania Region through the Development and Cohesion Fund, including: the clean-up operations in Bagnoli; the urgent safety work to address the bradyseism emergency in the Campi Flegrei area; completion of numerous projects belonging to the previous programming period regarding Municipalities; measures for the environment, transport and culture. “Focusing on the needs expressed by the local area, – added President Meloni – with national cohesion policy resources providing a concrete opportunity for swift implementation”.

In fact, the agreement signed today completes the process of allocating the 2021-2027 Development and Cohesion Fund resources earmarked for the Campania Region, equal to EUR 6.5 billion. An initial share of these resources, equal to EUR 582.18 million, was allocated in 2021 to projects ‘for immediate launch’ presented by the Region.

In order to meet the needs expressed by the local area, 2021-2027 Development and Cohesion Fund resources were then assigned in accordance with Decree Law no. 60/2024 and Decree Law no. 76/2024 to complete measures belonging to the previous programming period above all falling under the responsibility of Municipalities (EUR 388 million), to carry out the clean-up and redevelopment of the Bagnoli-Coroglio area (EUR 1,218 million), to carry out strategic, construction-ready infrastructure projects in the fields of environment, transport and culture (EUR 1,973 million) and, last but not least, to address the bradyseism emergency in the Campi Flegrei area (EUR 206 million).

Out of the EUR 6.5 billion earmarked for the Campania Region, the Government had therefore already finalised EUR 4.3 billion, with the additional EUR 2.2 billion being finalised today to fund 181 measures in the areas of urban regeneration, including strengthening sports infrastructure, healthcare, with infrastructure projects for regional hospitals, and business competitiveness.

In addition to the aforementioned Development and Cohesion Fund resources, the Agreement also finalises Revolving Fund resources pursuant to Law no. 183/1987, worth another EUR 1,277 million, equal to the share not used by the Region regarding co-financing for 2021-2027 European regional programmes.

With regard to these additional funds, today’s Agreement provides for another 72 measures in the field of culture, to reduce public transport costs for students, to support families and the birth rate and to complete the infrastructure investment plan.

“I would like to express my great satisfaction” – stated Minister Fitto – “that the Agreement for the Campania Region has been signed. This milestone is the culmination of efforts to combine requests coming from the local area with the Government’s cohesion policy strategy”.

[Courtesy translation]