"With regard to the NRP funds earmarked for the Mezzogiorno, we expect at least the confirmation of the 40%. Certainly the ex-legislative provision to allocate at least this percentage of the NRP funds to the Mezzogiorno is an important innovation that we have welcomed. The first report on compliance with the territorial allocation constraint, prepared by the Department for Cohesion Policies, estimates the resources allocated to the Mezzogiorno at 86 billion, equal to 40.8% of the allocable resources. The same report, however, emphasises the need for caution in reading the data, since about one third of them refer to interventions whose share of the Mezzogiorno derives only from estimates provided by the administrations: the relevant procedures, in fact, are either not yet activated or are activated without any forecast of territorial destination. As a business system, we expect these estimates to be at least confirmed: compliance with the rule will be a fundamental aspect for the effectiveness of the interventions for the Regions of Southern Italy'. Thus Vito Grassi, Vice President of Confindustria and President of the Council for Regional Representations and Territorial Cohesion Policies, in an interview with Nuovo Quotidiano di Puglia.

At the 'Bio In Italy Investment Forum - South Edition' event, Grassi spoke about the bioeconomy, emphasising that it represents 'one of the pillars of the Green Deal and the ecological transition and is a great opportunity for Italy. In fact, in 2020 the bioeconomy in our country generated an output of around EUR 317 billion, employing just under two million people. To take off, however, it needs concrete action plans capable of transforming the national potential into innovative and sustainable industrial applications. The moment is complex for the entire production system. However, the Bioeconomy proves to be a resilient sector. In this context, the agri-food supply chain, which in Italy represents over 60% of the value of the bioeconomy, can find in its peculiar characteristics, circularity and sustainability above all, the resources to cope with the crisis that companies are facing at the moment'.

"Undoubtedly, the Russian invasion of Ukraine," said the Vice President, "has further aggravated many sectors and all the already existing tensions over prices, scarcity of raw materials, production inputs, and the continuing pandemic. Today, for industry, faced with an energy bill that risks rising from 8 billion in 2019 to over 60 billion in 2022, the space to absorb these huge cost increases at the expense of its margins has come to an end. Appropriate structural measures are needed: a cap on the price of gas; the need for an energy mix (we need to diversify supplies); increasing the share of renewables, but the timing is not compatible with the need to replace the huge share of Russian gas we import in electricity production. On the other hand, deciding on the removal of restrictions on exploration and extraction in the Upper Adriatic takes only a few hours. But, according to Grassi, there must be the will to act. Europe must understand that within this framework huge industrial sectors remain exposed to enormous risks, in a context that has changed enormously in recent months. The scenario before us is extremely uncertain'.

For this reason, the Vice President wanted to emphasise how strategic and topical it is at this time to accelerate the 'growth of renewable energy sources, which requires means, instruments and a commitment of an extraordinary nature. In this regard, action must be taken: optimising the decarbonisation levers of the strategic plans adopted on energy and climate - Pnrr and Pniec - and also enhancing the contribution of the circular economy; further strengthening procedural simplification measures to speed up authorisation processes. There are, however, many frictions that still hinder the development of the sector, obstacles that are essentially related to bureaucratic burdens, non-transparent processes, personnel issues, non-digital processes, lack of legal consistency, and an incomplete and vague framework and guidelines that lead to different interpretations of existing legislation by the competent authorities,' Grassi concluded.