Italian Territorial Approach to Regional Policy: integrating policies starting from territories Sabrina Lucatelli European Seminar on Sustainable Urban.

Italian Territorial Approach to Regional Policy:

integrating policies starting from territories

Sabrina Lucatelli

European Seminar on “Sustainable Urban Rural

Partnerships” Metz, 16th November 2012

Sabrina Lucatelli - Department for Development and Cohesion Policies

20 Regions 103 Provinces (under re-organisation in ordinary regions, from 86 to 51) 8,092 Municipalities

A fourth level of government, Metropolitan Cities, also mentioned in the Italian Constitution and by lows

Regions traditionally enjoy wide administrative powers. They are the only sub-central authorities with legislative power.

15 Regions have “ordinary” statutory framework while 5 Regions have a “special statute”, which gives them wider legislative and administrative powers.

Associations of Municipalities

A very complex Administrative A very complex Administrative Structure: “regions” and local Structure: “regions” and local authorities….authorities….

Many Italian policies do act through districts and basins

with a functional areas philosophy

•Provision of Health services through Health Districts;•Social Policies and «Piani d’Azione» - Action Plans•Hydrographical districts and water basins for water management•Parks for natural areas management•Rural Districts in several Regions

Regional Policy acts though Regional and National programs but it also uses functional areas though

Multi-Regional Programs and Territorial Integrated Projects

Sabrina Lucatelli - Department for Development and Cohesion Policies

• Urban dimension and “Integrated Territorial Projects” (ITPs) in Italian Regional policy

• Integration between Regional and Rural Development policy

• 2014-2020 period: The policentric model and how to improve small cities networking

Sabrina Lucatelli - Department for Development and Cohesion Policies

2007-2013 Urban dimension of Italian Regional Policy

• A priority on «Competitiveness and attractiveness of cities and urban systems»;

• Pushing regions to implement Integrated Urban Projects for CitiesCities and Urban networksUrban networks;

• To foster competitiveness; facilitate business development; social inclusion and allow the best possible accessibility though material and immaterial connections;

• Leaving flexibility to Regions to adapt urban policy to their models and existing Plans

• Possibility to consider rural-urban linkages and Possibility to consider rural-urban linkages and inter-municipal cooperation to facilitate inter-municipal cooperation to facilitate services provisionservices provision

Sabrina Lucatelli - Department for Development and Cohesion Policies

What happened?• Quite slow implementation in both Center-North and

South programs;• A slowing down of the integrated approachintegrated approach, to

allow an acceleration of the expenditure;• Some exceptions in regions such as Liguria,

Tuscany; Umbria; Abruzzi and Campania;• A too complex multi-level governance structure that

complicated «strategy formulation» and investments selections;

• Mainly “big infrastructure” investments• Urban Networks Projects proved to be even Urban Networks Projects proved to be even

more difficultmore difficult• Tensions between Regions and Cities …

Sabrina Lucatelli - Department for Development and Cohesion Policies

"a set of consistent and closely connected inter-sectoral actions focused on achieving a common territorial development objective that justifies a unified approach to implementation” (CSF 2000 – 2006)

definition of the propeller idea, project strategy and objectivesproject integration as a peculiarity of the whole activity co-financed by the Structural Funds (also multi-funds)the territory as the beneficiary of actions and context for the development of latent potentials: could be Urban, Rural, Urban-Rural giving responsibility for project drafting and implementation to local authorities, elected mayors

IPs definition

IPs basic principles

Integrated Territorial Projects (IP)

Sabrina Lucatelli - Department for Development and Cohesion Policies

Sabrina Lucatelli - Department for Development and Cohesion Policies

Detailed projects of different nature

CORE OBJECTIVE(Strategic idea: provides coherence, integration)

Example: To increase cultural tourism

Historic preservationEnvironment

(restoring buildings, cleaning

polluted sites)

Infrastructure(Roads,

telecommunications Tourist Info points)

Productive sector (Support

to local manufacturers

of typical products)

Human Resources (training in

skills needed in the tourism

sector)

Unified Project Management (one municipal govt. chosen to lead

project)

Measurable Expected Outcomes:Increased N. of visitors, Employment, reduced out-

migration

ITP as a Programming ToolA  specific operational mode

Sabrina Lucatelli - Department for Development and Cohesion Policies

REGIONAL PROGRAM

measure

measure

measure

measure

measure

measure

measure

measure

PROJECTSINTEGRATEDTERRITORIAL

PROJECT

ITPs introduce an alternative project-selection rationale: INTEGRATION

Sabrina Lucatelli - Department for Development and Cohesion Policies

A: competitive, bottom up

B: negotiated, top down

Municipalities associate. Prepare and submit detailed

project proposal

Regions established bidding criteria for municipalities and published a call for projects

Municipalities associate; prepare project following Regional geographical,

financial, and sometimes sectorial decisions

Regions divide all territory, group municipalities, allocate

funds ex-ante

Regions appraise and approve projects according to project quality and other criteria

Regions appraise and approve projects once they reach a minimum quality standard

Two types of identification and selection procedures

Number, size and distribution of interventions

Sabrina Lucatelli - Department for Development and Cohesion Policies

Industry

Urban Development

Tourism

Environment

Rural development

Transport

Research and Innovation

General Territorial Development

Area not covered by ITPS

Sabrina Lucatelli - Department for Development and Cohesion Policies

Coordination between National Strategic Framework for regional policy and rural development policy

Ensuring properly governance coordination systems when managing programmes: regional level;

Ensuring coordination at Central level (better if formalised!);

Using different funds within integrated territorial projects; Using Evaluation as a Tool of Coordination

What is happening at regional level?

2007-2013: Coordination Mechanisms

between regional policy and rural development policy

Lessons Learned

• Jeopardised situation at regional level;• Mono-funds made coordination very difficult to happen!• Many “formal” coordination systems, but little

substantial coordination;• Integration is happening at territorial level: ITP;

Action Local Groups …• Very little EAFRD participation to Integrated territorial

Projects;• Necessity to overcome the pure demarcation approach

and to monitor effective integration

Sabrina Lucatelli - Department for Development and Cohesion Policies

The Commission proposal for 2014-2020: which opportunity for Urban-Rural

Partnership• Experiences of Urban-Rural “indirect” partnerships

are happening in Italy through ITP and Local Action Groups (Leader);

• But these instruments proved to be difficult in terms of “expenditure capacity” and effective integration;

• New opportunities could be foreseen with the new emphasis given to the Urban dimension of next programming period;

• The Italian polycentric character will be considered in the design of next regional policy national strategy

• Italian lagging areas will receive a special attention, also through the improvement of small and medium sized cities coordination capacity to provide basic services to citizens

Sabrina Lucatelli - Department for Development and Cohesion Policies

Thanks for your [email protected]