"After a period of great recovery after the war, no substantial progress has been made since the 1980s. GDP per capita in the South is 55% of that in the North. It is a huge gap. To achieve more robust growth rates it is crucial. give a strong acceleration to the economy of the South and restart the convergence between the two areas of the country ".
Economy Minister Daniele Franco said this during the 'Towards South' Forum.
The PNRR is "a new opportunity", but on its own it is not enough.
It is necessary to use all available funds and "know how to spend" resources, with an "adequate" capacity to carry out projects.
Among the elements of the gap Franco mentioned the quality of public services, but also the training of young people.
"In the South the share of young people who complete the high school cycle is 7 percentage points lower than in the Center-North. Many young people emigrate taking their human capital elsewhere. I believe that the economic policy responses to the poor development of the regions of the South will never be effective if they do not address the gap in the training of young people and the push to emigrate ", explained the minister.
Speaking therefore of the NRP and the funds available, from the FSC to those of the budget law, Franco stressed that in addition to resources, there are also "questions of method".
"It is not enough to spend, it is necessary to create a work that works".
The availability of resources is essential, he insisted, but public and private investments "in human, physical and intangible capital, and the enhancement of the environment can only be realized if the ability to manage projects is adequate. The implementation of the Plan requires therefore an unprecedented organizational effort, starting with the coordination between the many institutional levels involved. Local administrations are at the forefront ".
"The PNRR cannot be limited to being a parenthesis of reformism and administrative activism at the end of which we return to the previous situation", she added.
We must look at an "overall" strategy that goes beyond the limits of the NRP, even temporally.
