Piedmont Government organizes a ‘roadshow’ to debate spending of EU recovery funds

The first stops were the Provinces of Novara and Vercelli

Piedmont regional leaders have decided to leave their cosy offices and hit the road in order to hear what local authorities have to say and to generate ideas on how best to utilize the large funds that are about to come from Brussels destined for economic and social recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. This consultation tour is called ‘Piedmont – Heart of Europe’ and is led by the President of the region, Alberto Cirio accompanied by several councillors from his cabinet.

Leaders will seek to answer the question of how best to develop the region in the next decade

Speaking in numbers, the figures are impressive. The northern Italian region’s administration had presented a plan for recovery worth 13 billion euros and the next EU programme period (2021-2027) has set aside nearly 4 billion euros (a billion more than the previous period).

The first meeting of the ‘roadshow’ was held at the headquarters of the Novara Chamber of Commerce on 25 February and together with the regional representatives it also featured the President of the Province of Vercelli, Eraldo Botta, the Mayor of Vercelli, Andrea Corsaro, the Vice-President of the Province of Novara, Michela Leoni and the Mayor of Novara, Alessandro Canelli and business leaders from the area.

Mr Cirio described the meeting as a ‘historical moment’ for the region adding: “We want to write the plan together with the territory, not closed up in buildings. The experience in Brussels has taught me that we must not limit ourselves to waiting for Europe's resources, but we must help direct them so that they can respond to the real needs of our economic and social fabric. And I thank the president of the EU Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen, who a few days ago encouraged the Member States to involve the regional authorities in the drafting and implementation of recovery plans”.

The Piedmont President promised that at the conclusion of the tour in April, his cabinet will release strategic guidelines for the development of the region. He was also confident that involving all government tiers will help present a stronger voice when applying for funds from Rome.

The name ‘Piedmont – Heart of Europe’ refers to the wish to brand the region as a high-capacity logistics crossroads hub of the continent.