The JTF for Taranto and Sulcis opens up to big business and social housing plans

The Just Transition Fund (JTF) opens up to large companies and includes social housing in the programmes of both Taranto and Sulcis, the Sardinian area that is a beneficiary, like the city of Puglia, of the European programme designed to foster industrial and environmental transition and reduce the weight of the economy derived mainly from fossil fuels (the former Ilva steelworks in Taranto and mines in Sulcis ) in the two areas. The two amendments, which also lead to a reshuffling of the resources allocated to the two areas, were approved at the monitoring committee meeting held in Taranto on 4 December, which was also attended by representatives from Sardinia.

In the revision presented, 'it was deemed necessary to consider the eligibility of large enterprises', which were initially excluded, since the JTF with the territorial plans of Taranto and Sulcis 'is set in a framework of strong industrial, economic and social transformation' and therefore 'the challenge of the just transition in these territories requires the activation of all the pre-conditions for activating competitive production ecosystems'. The enlargement of the JTF to large enterprises (a measure also advocated by Confindustria Taranto) is also considered "fully consistent with European and national competitiveness and decarbonisation objectives" but also follows the direction of the Draghi Report on European competitiveness "which calls for the need for a public-private alliance between large industrial players and SMEs to support European technological sovereignty".

As for the inclusion of social housing and housing actions, not only is it one of the objectives included in the European Commission's Mid-term review, but it is also called for by the territories, it is explained, and does not overlap with what is being realised in other cohesion programmes. Moreover, it aims, on the one hand, to help households and people most affected by the transition and, on the other, to "foster the attraction of new housing, including temporary housing, in support of the economic diversification processes of the two areas (e.g. attraction of students and researchers for the new university poles of Taranto and Iglesias). The inclusion of social housing in the JTF is also linked "to the energetic, environmental and functional regeneration of housing", as well as "to the promotion of efficient and healthy green building technologies and materials, consolidating the scientific evidence and the results of several European projects that demonstrate the link between housing regeneration models and the regenerative impact on human health".

In addition to the inclusion of the two new actions, the monitoring committee meeting in Taranto also gave the go-ahead for an overall change in funds which, including the added priority 'Accessible and Sustainable Housing', amounts to 387 million in EU share, or 37.9 per cent of the programme. Specifically, the changes for Sulcis amount to EUR 119.1 million, those for Taranto to EUR 267.8 million, both in EU share. Social housing now has 24.2 million for Taranto and 21.1 for Sulcis.

For Taranto, there was also a more overall remodelling and the risk, feared on the eve of the meeting, that one of the two programmes of the government commissioner for the reclamation of Taranto, restoration of the Mar Grande and Mar Piccolo coasts, admitted to the JTF for 40 million, would be defined.