Intervento Simona De Luca, The good practices of territorial cohesion and prevention of organised crime for a more united and fairer Europe Bruxelles, 9 ottobre 2019

1. 1.
Cohesion policy

2. European Union: high heterogeneity among regions
© EuroGeographics Association for the administrative boundaries
Europe 2020 index
4 EU headline targets (2012)
Source: EU DG Regio,
Regional Focus 01/2015
100 = meets or exceed all targets
UE Average = 71,4

3. Italian Constitution (art. 119):
“In order to promote economic
development and cohesion … the State
shall allocate additional resources …”.
Italy: some key facts
Italy is among largest
contributors to the EU budget
Large regional disparities
GDP per capita Youth unemployment rate
Less developed
Transition
More developed
Relative poverty index (year 2012, source: Istat)
Source:http://ec.europa.eu/budget/figures/2007-2013/index_en.cfm

4. Cohesion policy aims at reducing disparities
In Italy and in Europe
All over Italy (although mostly in the South)
in many different policy sectors
in order to reduce disparities, attract business
and enhance opportunities and the quality of
services
EU funds + national cohesion fund
More developed regions
Transition regions
Less developed regions2007-2013
~ 100 bn €
(under implementation)
2014-2020
~ 123 bn €
(planned)

5. Legality and anticorruption interventions funded
by Cohesion Policies in Italy
2007-2013 (evidence from the implementation):
o EU Structural Funds:
• ERDF: 3 OPs managed at the central level + OPs at
the regional (all for 4 least developed regions in the
South)
• ESF 1 regional OP in Lombardy
o National Funds for Cohesion:
• 2 central and 2 regional Programmes, all in the South
Programming cycle 2014-2020:
A national strategy funded by EU ESIF resources
(National OP Legality, Governance an Institutional
Capacity and Regional Programmes) and by
National Funds for Cohesion
/
In 2007-2013
EARDF
supported other
interventions on
confiscated
assets. In 2014-
2020 EARDF is
included in the
ESIF
Focus published on the OpenCoesione web portal:
www.opencoesione.gov.it/pillola/pillola-n-27-beni-confiscati-e-politiche-di-coesione-progetti-attuazione-al-31-
dicembre-2015-e-iniziative-corso

6. 2.
Confiscated assets & cohesion
policy in Italy

7. Number of confiscated assets in Italy
More than 15,000
properties and 2,000
companies.
Territorial concentration in
Southern Italy (Sicily,
Campania, Calabria,
Apulia) but significant
presence also in
Lombardy
Data from the Italian National
Agency on Confiscated Assets
(ANBSC)

8. Number of confiscated assets in Italy
Data mapped by Confiscati Bene, a participatory project
carried out by Libera and OnData a group of journalists, open data and anti-
mafia activists and technologists

9. Cohesion Policies for the reuse of confiscated
assets for institutional and social purposes
• In Italy seizures and confiscation have reached significant capital,
economic and financial value
• Rognoni-La Torre Law of 1982, Law 109/1996
• EU Directive on the confiscation of assets, adopted in February
2014 suggests to MS to adopt measures for the reuse of
confiscated assets for public and social purposes.
• Confiscated assets can play a relevant role in territorial
development supported by cohesion policies with the common
objectives of reducing territorial disparities and promoting social
inclusion

10. 3.
Transparency and civic
monitoring on cohesion policy:
an opportunity for projects on
confiscated assets

11. The Italian open government strategy on Cohesion Policy for:
 a more efficient and effective use of resources and
destination of funds consistent with people’s needs
• improve decision making and policy design, also by
increasing access to and quality of information
• increasing involvement of stakeholders and civic partners
• broadening the opportunities for analyses and evaluations
on relevant policy issues
• encouraging the creation of new tools and services
revolving around the availability of open data

12. Adaptation of
Open government diagram
by Armel Le Coz and Cyril Lage
released under Creative Commons
Attribution terms

13. Open data licence to support re-use
Information about
projects collected from
National and Regional
Managing Authorities:
• description
• funding (amount and
sources)
• locations
• thematic areas
• public/private
subjects involved
• deployment timing
100+ variables for each
project in open data
section (CSV)
+ access via API
The web portal: www.opencoesione.gov.it

14. OPEN DATA, DATA JOURNALISM, CIVIC
MONITORING AND COHESION POLICY.
SINCE 2013 IN ITALIAN HIGH-SCHOOLS.
Partnership with EC Representation in Italy
and Europe Direct Information Centres
Collaboration with “ASOC Friends”
(selected civil society organisations)
www.ascuoladiopencoesione.it
OpenCoesione School: the project
OpenCoesione School (ASOC) is an
innovative interdisciplinary educational project
aimed at high school students. By working on
a storytelling research based on cohesion
projects, they experience how cohesion policy
affects their own neighbourhoods.
METHOD
● Online MOOC with support materials and
community
● Distance learning for teachers
● Territorial networks of experts on cohesion policy
thematic areas or transversal issues
OBJECTIVES
● Promote the principles of aware citizenship
● Encourage responsible use of ICT, including
open data, and social media
● Foster civic monitoring of public funding
Raising a new generation of civic awareness

15. 5.
Cohesion policy plan on
confiscated assets for
programming cycle 2014-2020

16. Confiscated Fixed Assets: Figures and
Management Critical Points
• Many assets still have to be allocated due to the presence of
critical factors: undivided shares, irregularities in the land
registration, irregular property use and need to maintenance or
renovation works
• Isolation of Municipalities: strong need of an ongoing
professional support in defining projects for social reuse of
confiscated assets involving local actors and generating
entrepreneurial ideas
• Assets acquired by the State in many cases show no real
operational capacity due to increased management costs
(regular invoicing practices and compliance with labour rules),
conservative management, revocation of bank overdraft facilities,
relations with client/providers, ….

17. The Italian National strategy for the use of
confiscated assets by way of cohesion policies
o Official Journal of CIPE Resolution no. 53/2018
o An operational instrument for a national response strategy
to be developed in three action pillars:
• Institutional management and cooperation capacity
(Transparency of information, relevance of citizens’ monitoring
and best practices of management and social re-use)
• Infrastructures
• Companies
o 4th Action Plan for Open Government: specific action aimed
at making use of the wealth of information on confiscated
assets in connection with data on public investments for their
reuse

18. The Italian National strategy for the use of
confiscated assets by way of cohesion policies
2014-2020 programming cycle most funding
• Repurposing for tourism and lodging of a confiscated complex in Punta Pellaro, a district in Reggio
Calabria, with a public cost of roughly €3 million
- Recovery of a property in Catania, for a cost of nearly €2 million within the scope of the ERDF ESF
National Operational Programme for metropolitan areas;
- Creation of a centre for abused women in the town of Casalnuovo (NA);
- Creation of a youth centre (with a juvenile detention area, a small football pitch and play area, and a
shelter for children experiencing family difficulties) in the town of Casal di Principe (CE).
300 PROJECTS
in the dataset of monitoring data referred to 30 June 2019
concerning execution of the projects
funded by cohesion policies in order to
reuse confiscated assets
At present on opencoesione.gov.it
This collection of projects published on
the OpenCoesione website is updated
every two months and can be found
using the Focus search filter.
90% funded in the 2007-
2013 programming cycle
TOTAL
PUBLIC
COST =
over €200
million

19. Thank you for your attention!
www.opencoesione.gov.it
info@opencoesione.gov.it