Protocol signed between the Department for Southern Italy and the EIB to strengthen investment, credit and territorial development

Strengthening investment in Southern Italy, supporting access to credit and consolidating the role of the Single Special Economic Zone (ZES Unica) as a strategic lever for the development and competitiveness of Southern Italy: this is the objective of the Memorandum of Understanding signed today in Naples, at Palazzo Partanna, between the Department for Southern Italy of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and the European Investment Bank (EIB).

The agreement was signed by the Head of the Department for Southern Italy at the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Giuseppe Romano, and the Head of the EIB Group Office in Italy, Milena Messori, in the presence of the Undersecretary of State to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers with responsibility for Southern Italy, Luigi Sbarra, and the Vice-President of the EIB, Gelsomina Vigliotti.

The Protocol strengthens an institutional cooperation already underway between the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and the EIB and aims to facilitate the financing of public and private investments within the territories of the Single SEZ, including through the involvement of the banking and financial system.

The agreement forms part of the framework of the Three-Year Strategic Plan for the Single SEZ, approved by Prime Ministerial Decree on 31 October 2024, and seeks to support investments consistent with European priorities in the fields of cohesion, innovation, competitiveness and sustainable development.

Within this framework, the EIB will be able to intervene through dedicated credit lines for SMEs and mid-cap companies, guarantee instruments, direct financing operations and technical assistance services for the financial structuring of investments, with particular attention to strategic production chains and high-innovation sectors.

The agreement also provides for technical support activities for public administrations and initiatives to strengthen the capacity for investment planning and implementation, through a joint Task Force between the Department for Southern Italy and the EIB, which will oversee the operational implementation of the Protocol and coordination among European, national and dedicated funding instruments.

“The agreement with the European Investment Bank represents an important step in strengthening the Single SEZ in Southern Italy and supporting new investment in the South,” stated Undersecretary Sbarra. “The Protocol will also enhance technical support for public administrations and improve strategic investment planning capacity. The work of the joint Task Force between the Department for Southern Italy and the EIB, which will oversee the implementation of the agreement, will be central.”

“With this initiative,” Undersecretary Sbarra concluded, “the Government confirms its commitment to creating increasingly favourable conditions for economic growth in Southern Italy, bringing together European, national and regional resources in support of development and competitiveness in the South.”

“The agreement makes it possible to expand the provision of medium- to long-term finance, guarantee instruments and direct financing operations,” noted Giuseppe Romano, Head of the Department for Southern Italy at the Presidency of the Council of Ministers. “The objective is to promote a more efficient use of available resources, support the development of strategic production chains and enhance the capacity to attract investment in the territories concerned, with a view to greater integration between national and European levels.”