Undersecretary Sbarra Chairs the ZES Steering Committee at Palazzo Chigi

“Outstanding results. From today, the Strategic Plan is extended to Marche and Umbria”.

The Undersecretary to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers with responsibility for the South, Luigi Sbarra, chaired this morning, in the Chigiana Library at Palazzo Chigi, the meeting of the ZES Steering Committee. The session focused on the update of the Strategic Plan for the Single Special Economic Zone (ZES Unica), following the extension of its perimeter to the regions of Umbria and Marche, as well as on the presentation of the results achieved to date.

During the meeting, Undersecretary Sbarra expressed his satisfaction with the effective coordination among the various institutional levels, emphasising the significant boost that the ZES Unica has given to the economic development of Southern Italy. “In today’s Steering Committee,” stated the Undersecretary, “we acknowledged results that far exceed expectations. While in the 2022–2023 biennium, under the previous framework of eight regional ZES areas, authorisations numbered only a few hundred, in the past two years more than one thousand authorisations have been issued, marking an increase of over 250 per cent. We are talking about approximately €6 billion in authorised investments and more than 17,800 estimated employment impacts.”

Alongside administrative simplification, the ZES Unica provides a robust fiscal incentive tool through tax credits. Over the past two years, the Revenue Agency has received more than 17,300 applications, supported by an allocation of €6.1 billion to sustain over €12.4 billion in investments.

“The ZES Unica Mezzogiorno,” Undersecretary Sbarra affirmed, “continues to prove an effective model and a cornerstone of industrial policy for the South. The Stability Law ensures significant funding to maintain continuity and support for investments. The €4 billion allocation for the next three years is aimed at guaranteeing structured investment planning. The extension of the perimeter to the regions of Marche and Umbria, the only transition regions previously excluded from the measure, has made it necessary to expand the scope of the Strategic Plan.”

“It is important,” Sbarra concluded, “that the President of the Council, Giorgia Meloni, identifies the ZES as a model to be considered for future measures to be introduced at national level in order to ensure administrative simplification.”