A confidential document of the CNEL: 28 billion diverted from the south by the government. Spent to fund everything from G8 airport Dal Molin, the new town Aquila fund for small businesses
Manuele Bonaccorsi
Twenty-eight billion euro. Would be enough to make four times the Strait Bridge. These are funds that the government has snatched the South over the past two years, using one of the most important parts of public expenditure, the Fund utilized areas (Fas). 53.7 billion, to be spent by 2013, along with the European Social Fund funding to recover the gap between rich and poor areas of the EU. It is the last train, in 2013 Europe will cut funding to devote to the support of the new members in eastern Europe. Of that money, they have been less half. The money were used for social safety nets, to cut the ICI, to finance the new town in Abruzzo, the G8 and the Acerra incinerator, for credit to small businesses. Almost 8 billion were stolen by the state to reduce public debt. Objectives other than those for which funds had been allocated to: Retrieve the gap between the two Italys. A diversion of resources that the Budget being approved does not settle. It matters little if the data show that the recession hit especially hard by the crisis in the South of the North. Despite the controversy surrounding the Bank of the South, disputes in the center-south, the announcements of a plan for the South, the South of Italy is the great absence of financial maneuver.
The data comes from an unexpected source: the CNEL, National Council of Economy and Labour, the constitutional institution of origin, composed of 120 counselors, economists, business representatives, labor associations. The CNEL, last November 12 has turned a "paper park", edited by Massimo Sabatini and Piervittorio Zeno, who is a policy framework "of the 2007-2013 European funds and funds of Fas. The result is a pitiful list of lost opportunities and indiscriminate cuts. The trove
In 2007, the then government Prodi launches national strategic framework, a substantial document takes stock of all resources can be activated in the regional development policies, from 2007 to 2013, and indicates the priority objectives to be achieved. This is a total of 122 billion euro, of which just over 100 billion are reserved for the South. The novelty of the plan is to combine in a single project, resources of different origin: 25.6 billion from the European Structural Funds (ESF) for the depressed areas of the country, 27.7 billion of "financing" to the national ESF and 63 billion allocated by the Finance Act 2007 under the heading Fund-utilized areas, including 53.7 for the South. The funds are a direct descendant of Fas for extraordinary in the South, after the closure in 1992 of the Cassa del Mezzogiorno. Introduced in 2002 for the "depressed areas" and must be spent by 85 percent in the South The funds, according to law, are assigned to the Ministries of Economy and Production activities, are available every year in the budget, and must be spent by resolution of the CIPE (Interministerial Committee for Economic Planning). The news, contained in the Strategic Framework launched by the previous government is that of "logical coherence lead to the different streams of public intervention in the development policy for the first time since the closure of the extraordinary in the South." The funds, the document states Government, will be spent based on 10 priorities, including education, innovation, environment, networks, the attractiveness of urban systems, openness to international trade, the quality of life.
short, there are all conditions in a manner beneficial to spend the funds, with the aim of bridging the divide between north and south of the country. By avoiding the mistakes of the past seven years (2001-2007), unable, says the document of the CNEL, to amend the "break variables, ie the minimum targets set by the plan of action. In a federalist perspective, inter alia, the NSF grants to the regions responsible for managing 61 percent resources, compared to 46 of the previous tranche of Structural Funds (2000-2006). But there comes the executive Berlusconi, Tremonti Minister of Government and the League. And everything stops.
cuts
It begins with the decree 112, the three-year operation of the government, approved in the summer of 2008. The measure reduces the expenditure of the ministries of about 27 billion. Of these, about a quarter comes from the mission development and territorial balance of the Ministry of Economic Development: 1.8 billion of cuts in 2009, 2.2 billion in 2010 and 3.9 billion in 2011. Money spent to pay off the debt: "Once again, this is expected to contain public spending through a significant reduction spending on public investment in the South, just when it would have had a need for action cyclical recovery, "accuses the paper of CNEL. In the same decree are also withdrawn the funds prior to 2006, not yet committed (about 3 billion). Resources "liberated" are spent in other chapters, 450 million are committed to the waste crisis in Naples, 934 million for upgrading the energy efficiency of buildings, 1.1 billion disappear for ICI cuts, the budget to cover the holes Rome and Catania leave 640 million. Still, 281 million are being spent to pay in installments taxes to citizens affected by the earthquake in Umbria and Abruzzo 1997, 150 million are 'vehicle for the civil emergency, "are used 1.3 billion to fund the NHS. In total this is 5.3 billion. Current expenditure, therefore, covered by extra funds for development. In total, the cuts to the initial allocation of funds Fas, amount, according to the CNEL, to 13.2 billion.
But it's over. The government continues to use the resources Fas as if it were a bank account. For ordinary law, outside of budget, other funds are cut 5.2 billion 900 million go to the adjustment of prices of public contracts, 390 for the privatization of Tirrenia, Fs recover 960 million for its investment while Trenitalia wins a service contract with $ 1.4 billion. The list is long, 1 billion goes to the Guarantee Fund for SME loans, 100 million to Alitalia, as the agricultural insurance, 400 million to the Department of Berlusconi events (the G8 of Mary Magdalene was never built, it costs from just over 300 million). Reckless, 13 billion taken from their funds with the Fas-year operation, 5 of the law, the total is 18 billion euro. Of the initial 63 billion, therefore, remain 45, of which 27 are allocated to the regions. Although spending plans have not yet been launched by the executive.
bottomless pit
The government still held about 18 billion. Which are divided into three funds, three different safes. Where the Government, through CIPE decisions, unable to find new resources to spend at will. The first is assigned to the Ministry of Transport, and is called the Fund for infrastructure. Here, too, collects all interventions except to bridge the infrastructure gap in the South: 16.5 million are Dal Molin airport, where Americans want to build a new military base, 200 million prison construction, which certainly has nothing to do with development; 448.5 million then vanish with the earthquake of L'Aquila: will the reconstruction of the university, the exemption of tolls, to work for railways and roads in areas affected by the earthquake. From the bottom infrastructure, therefore, blend another 600 million. The second box is the Social Fund for Employment and Training, awarded to the Ministry of Labour. 4 billion worth, all intended to shock notwithstanding. The resources to help revive the economy of the South, therefore, end up financing the welfare state put under tension by the crisis. Not only that, the 4 billion, 3 go to the northern regions, where there is a greater number of hours of layoffs following the recession. Only 1 billion will be committed to the South instead of the third fund is managed by the Presidency of the Council. It's called "Strategic Fund to support the real economy." In this case too much is spent on measures that have nothing to do with the growth in depressed areas. Other 400 million go to the Acerra incinerator, 70 are spent to increase the turnover in the universities from 20 to 50 percent. And 4 billion are "temporarily" assigned to Abruzzo. In total is 28 billion euro. At this point, Fas national funds, it is almost nothing. But the regional funds are affected. Just one example: the government's cuts to the school, forced to intervene in the regions, with a new form of welfare for teachers, so-called solidarity contracts. Only in Campania took well to their teachers 20 million unemployed. Paid with the Structural Funds.
broken promises
Not only that, the document points out that the CNEL, according to the Strategic Framework of 2007, "the European Commission and the State shall verify ex ante additionality of structural fund spending." In other words, Member States may not use the resources of structural funds for ordinary cut spending. This is why the EU regulations "require Member States to maintain or increase public spending on the same themes of national structural funds." NSF in 2007, therefore, the government undertook to fix the public expenditure in the South 20.9 billion, compared with 18.6 billion the previous years. Another unfulfilled promises.