Guidesi (Lombardy): without cohesion funds, non-functional regions

(Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - "The European cohesion and development funds, which represent the vast majority of the resources available for regional policies to support businesses, must remain in the hands of the regions. If this is no longer the case, there is a risk of slowing down or even blocking the competitiveness of our territories, which means putting the brakes on the country's economy'. So said Lombardy Region Economic Development Councillor Guido Guidesi, on the sidelines of the new meeting of the CNorthwest Economic Area this morning in Genoa, which brought together Liguria, Lombardy, and Piedmont. The meeting was an opportunity for the three regions to share a common planning document that will lay the foundations for synchronous calls and measures aimed at supporting innovation, technology transfer, and the competitiveness of businesses in the North-West.

"The signing of the memorandum of understanding by the three regions represents the concretisation of work that began three years ago within the North-West Economic Cabin," Guidesi pointed out. "It is a document that launches measures, initiatives and calls for tenders that the three regions will implement jointly in the near future to continue to support businesses, in a healthy public-private relationship. The alliance has already led to important results by succeeding in creating cooperation between research centres, universities, and businesses between Lombardy, Piedmont, and Liguria,' explained the Lombardy councillor, who, returning to the cohesion funds, emphasised that 'we are witnessing an unhealthy debate; if what is being insistently proposed in Brussels were to materialise, and therefore a change in the governance of resources, there would be a serious risk of compromising the competitiveness of businesses and our territories. We cannot allow ourselves to debase the role of the regions that, like Lombardy, today drive the country.

In particular, the councillor also emphasised the importance of timing and capacity to act: 'We need speed. The territories want to continue to play their part, we want to make ourselves useful to our companies with effective tools so that they can achieve their goals in the shortest possible time. But if the processes remain hostage to bureaucracy or centralist logic, then the Lombardy system as a whole will no longer be able to be the engine of development, and the country will suffer structural damage'. Finally came a call for concreteness: 'Our territorial systems and ecosystems work when they are put in a position to act quickly. With Rome's timeframe, we will not be competitive. We need clear tools, certain resources, and governance that remains in the hands of the territories. Only in this way can we continue to ensure that Lombardy continues to be the locomotive'.