Earlier this month, Italy’s Senate approved the Calderoli bill, which aims to define the principles and mechanisms by which Italian regions can request more administrative powers in 23 areas, including health, education, the environment and foreign trade. , Ports and Energy.
If this bill is approved by the lower house of parliament, it will begin the so-called “differentiated autonomy” (differentiated autonomy). This is a watershed process that will fundamentally redefine Italy’s geographical and administrative structure, making the country more similar to autonomous Spain. region, or Belgium.
The main sponsor of this reform was the far-right Union (formerly the Northern League), a party in the ruling coalition that had called for the secession of northern Italy under the alias Padania in the early 1990s. The party says the reforms will make the country more efficient and modern and bridge the gap between the north and the poor south.
The reforms are somewhat reluctantly supported by the liberal Forza Italia group led by Antonio Taggiani and the far-right nationalist-conservative Brothers Italia (FdI) group, led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The latter is in a difficult position. On the other hand, he is trying to please the Salvini alliance, which ranks low in opinion polls, so as not to disappoint many voters in Rome and southern Italy.
FdI senator Alberto Balboni told EUobserver: “We play our role as a political party focused on ensuring national unity and national cohesion.” In recent weeks, the party has been pushing for the bill to include certain limits on reforms, including a clause on state supremacy.
Center-left opposition parties oppose the reforms. But the protests are mainly led by regional governors, mayors, journalists and academics in southern Italy who fear the reforms will harm their regions of Italy.
Critics say Italy is at risk of becoming a “clown country” as each region develops its own laws on many issues.
not only that. Some experts say the reforms could jeopardize Italy’s fiscal stability, which already has a huge public debt. Some said the country would become more bureaucratized, divided and vulnerable to crisis amid geopolitical turmoil in Europe and the Mediterranean.
Inefficiency and public debt
“The approval of the Calderoli bill confirms the risks to fiscal sustainability at the national level and regional inequalities,” the economic news site La Voce wrote a few days ago.
In May 2023, the European Commission stated: […] There is a risk of jeopardizing the government’s ability to direct public spending. “This could have a negative impact on the quality of Italy’s public finances and on regional disparities,” and in 2023 the Bank of Italy said: “This process could risk increasing the burden on the public budget.” he pointed out. […] It cannot be overlooked. ”
Massimo Bordignon, a finance professor at Milan’s Cattolica del Sacro Cuore University, told EUobserver: “The potential for widespread legal and bureaucracy will have a significant impact on Italy’s efficiency and ability to attract foreign investment. “We see it as a potentially big issue. And also about the economic performance of the country, which has implications for the whole EU.”
Proponents of the reform argue that giving regions broad and clear administrative powers will make local politicians more considerate and responsible. But while the Bank of Italy acknowledged that the reforms could strengthen the accountability of regional leaders, the new organizational structure could be “less transparent for the public and increase coordination costs.” He pointed out that there is.
“If regulations and bureaucracies become fragmented, all economies of scale at the national level will be lost,” said Francesco Prota, a professor of political economy at the University of Bari.
Will the North-South gap widen further?
“Regions were founded in 1970 and have always been fairly inefficient. Look at what happened during the COVID-19 pandemic. “We have struggled to provide a comprehensive response,” Rome-based economist Filippo Subrana told EUobserver.
It is well known that in Italy, there are some regions where healthcare is much better than others. In fact, many southern Italians go to northern Italy for treatment. According to Marina Boscaino, a high school teacher in Rome and spokesperson for the Committee for Non-Discrimination and Autonomy (NOAD), the situation will only get worse if the reform is approved by Congress. That would “divide your social fate based on your residency card. In other words, tell me where you live and I’ll tell you what rights you have,” she says.
The center-left opposition parties also firmly oppose this criticism. Ellie Schlein, secretary of the main opposition Democratic Party, recently attacked the government, saying it was giving a “coup” to the public health system with differentiated autonomy, adding: “First we divide the country. It is a thing,” he said. Class patients and second class patients.”
economics and geopolitics
“Amidst this global turmoil, economies need strong states to grow. Politicians who support this reform do not understand that they risk putting Italy into a lame duck.” entrepreneurs told EUobserver on condition of anonymity.
This is not everyone’s opinion. Carlo Valerio, an entrepreneur and president of the local branch of his Confapi small and medium-sized organization, calls the reform “a rationalization. I believe that it is the right thing to do.” This is because it is easier for people in the area to understand what the needs of the area are. ”
However, Italian media reports say many industry leaders are skeptical about the possibility of giving further powers to areas that are national in nature, such as large transport networks or energy.
Gianfranco Biesti, an academic and one of the best-known critics of differentiated autonomy, told EUobserver that if the reforms are approved, “over time, the laws of different regions will become considerably more closely related to each other.” “It also involves important issues such as health and the environment. It goes in the opposite direction of building a market.”
Then there are geopolitical factors. Italian newspapers have in the past criticized regional politicians who opposed sanctions against Russia and visited Crimea, which Moscow illegally occupies. What would happen if we gave regions more control over areas such as foreign trade and international relations?
Five Star Movement senator Alessandra Maiorino said: “The common defense is being considered because today the EU is trying to strengthen itself. This reform is completely wrong compared to what today’s times demand. Italy is very small and currently suffers from severe inequality.”