President Meloni’s statement on single SEZ for Italy’s southern regions

The European Commission’s green light for the creation of a single Special Economic Zone (SEZ) for Italy’s southern regions is very good news.
Developing the Mezzogiorno’s economy is a priority for our Government. We are, however, convinced that this goal must be reached by abandoning the welfare logic that does not work and by instead providing employment and growth opportunities, making these areas of the country competitive and attractive for investment and business.
The single SEZ goes exactly in this direction and constitutes a change of pace for the South’s economy.
The initiation of a dialogue with the European Commission to amend and make the ‘Decontribuzione Sud’ measure [an aid scheme for the South] permanent is also good news. The Government had already prolonged this scheme until the end of 2023 and it has proven to be very effective.

[Courtesy translation]