The year 2022 is a key year for the deployment of NRP resources and actions on the ground: for you, an update and the beginning of a common reflection.
The challenge: to launch calls and initiate projects, in a short period of time
The Recovery Instrument and the Recovery and Resilience Device were created as exceptional tools for exceptional times. The agreement reached among European countries has made substantial funds available, but on the condition of their use being limited in time. Funds from the Device (at the European level) and the PNRR (in Italy) are to be 70% committed by the end of 2022 and the remaining 30% by the end of 2023; to be actually spent by the end of 2026.
Thus, 2022 is a key year in which to commit NRP resources. There is in this a great unknown and a great responsibility: the Italian territories are, unfortunately, ranked last in Europe for “absorptive capacity” – that is, by ability to turn funds into calls and calls into projects with lasting effects.
For years now, the Guide prepares the way to better absorption and more effective use of community funds, providing all actors in the area with the information and the practical basics to design and structure their projects: which is what the NRP now requires of institutions, local authorities, organizations and businesses, with the additional constraint of achieving maximum effectiveness in the short time available.
We have dedicated and will still devote space and tools to the topic of NRP and its good use in the territories.
We mark a new stage in this journey today, adding to the analyses already done some important updates on the governance and on monitoring Of the NRP funds. This stage allows us to reflect on new possible forms of support that the Guide may provide to actors engaged in the implementation of the NRP.
The implementation of the NRP: the role of territories
Regions and local and regional authorities play a major role in the governance of the NRP, which is complex and multi-layered. Local and territorial authorities:
- They are beneficiaries and active participants in broader processes promoted by the NRP, such as digitization and public administration reform;
- They have an advisory role on the strategic, through participation in the Standing Table for Economic, Social and Territorial Partnership;
- They play an active role in localization on their territory of investments envisaged by the NRP (e.g., infrastructure development interventions);
- They have a responsibility in the operational execution of the NRP, as implementing entities of interventions and resources entrusted to them.
Their responsibility as implementers is important:
- In terms of operational: covers the entire process and includes initiation of operations, procedures for contracting implementation, monitoring, financial, operational and procedural progress of the intervention, achievement of relevant “milestones” and “targets,” and closure on schedule;
In terms of quantitative: involves about 35 percent of NRP resources (corresponding to about 66.4 billion euros), which are and will be allocated to local and territorial authorities through specific calls, notices and measures (see details below).
| Stima delle risorse allocate agli enti territoriali per missione | mld. € |
|---|---|
| M.1. Digitalizzazione, innovazione, competitività e cultura | 3,1 |
| M.2. Rivoluzione verde e transizione ecologica | 19,7 |
| M.3. Infrastrutture per una mobilità sostenibile | 0,3 |
| M.4. Istruzione e ricerca | 9,8 |
| M.5. Inclusione e coesione | 18,5 |
| M.6. Salute | 15,1 |
| Totale | 66,4 |
| Stima delle risorse allocate agli enti territoriali per tipologia | mld. € |
|---|---|
| Comuni e città metropolitane | 28,3 |
| Regioni, Province e Comuni | 10,8 |
| Regioni | 10,8 |
| ASL e Aziende ospedaliere | 15,1 |
| Altro | 1,4 |
| Totale | 66,4 |
The NRP on the territories: next steps
Given the size of the funds involved and the related management commitment, several reinforcement actions were launched under the NRP for the benefit of central administrations and the local implementing entities, including in particular the recruitment of specialized personnel and the possibility of using the support of experts and specialized bodies.
This recruitment process should be almost completed. With the assignment of experts to local authorities, a phase of more intensive deployment of NRP funds and actions in our territories should begin. This new phase will follow:
- General technical-administrative guidelines (aimed at ensuring the application of minimum requirements and common procedures in the selection and execution of interventions);
- Specific technical, sectoral and strategic guidelines (defined for individual interventions by the various central administrations holding NRP funds);
- Specific Territorial Plans, already prepared for each Region.
NRP Land Plans:
For those who are interested, we recommend learning more about this topic through two presentations dedicated to the governance of the NRP and to the role of local authorities .
Information on the calls and progress of the NRP.
The spatial nature of many of the NRP interventions is not yet reflected in access to information.
At the central level., official sites are gearing up to provide the best possible information on NRP-related strategies, planning, calls and opportunities:
- The reference site ItaliaDomani provides a platform where it is possible to find out both about the planning of NRP interventions and their progress , as well as on the calls launched, planned and in progress under the PNRR . The platform allows the user to refine the search based on the 6 Measures and 16 Components in which the Plan is organized, geographic area and target beneficiaries, dates, amounts and other criteria;
- The official sites of the European Commission provide an overview of the progress and impact of the Recovery and Resilience Facility at the European and country levels, with a page dedicated to the Italian NRP and a platform dedicated to the advancement and use of funds. The latter offers a general overview, analysis and data by subject area (green transition, digital, smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, social and territorial cohesion, resilience, education and youth) and directions on milestones and targets achieved, timelines e funds disbursed.
However, the same visibility on actions funded by the NRP does not yet exist at the local and regional level. They were organized “Dialogues on the NRP” in various cities and NRP Territorial Plans are available but, in general, individual local and territorial authorities have not yet systematized the available information on NRP implementation. Since a crucial role in the management of the NRP will be played by regional, territorial and local authorities, it will be important to monitor their reference sites regularly.
PNRR information: the role of our Guide.
For years now, the Guide prepares the way to better absorption and more effective use of community funds, providing all actors in the area with the information and the practical basics to design and structure their projects: which is what the NRP now requires of institutions, local authorities, organizations and businesses, with the additional constraint of achieving maximum effectiveness in the short time available.
We have dedicated and will still devote space, tools and insights to the topic of NRP and its good use in the territories.
Our Guide organizes the available information through a simple table, which can be found on the page dedicated to the Recovery and Resilience Device. . The prospectus provides a Direct access to pages dedicated to planning, progress and calls for proposals for each of the NRP Measures and Components., allowing you to “browse” the available information more easily and quickly.
This instrument will be strengthened as soon as more specific and structured information on the planning of NRP funds at regional, territorial and local levels becomes available.
