National Strategy for Inner Areas
Italy’s National Strategy for “Inner Areas” (SNAI – Strategia Nazionale Aree Interne) promotes sustainable territorial competitiveness to counter, in the medium term, the demographic decline hitting “Inner Areas” across the Country. The Strategy aims to create new income opportunities, enhance territories maintenance, and ensure that “Inner Areas” inhabitants have access to essential services (local public transport, education, social and healthcare services).
The SNAI is supported by European funds (ERDF, ESF, and EAFRD), for co-financing of local development projects, and by national resources. “Inner Areas” (stretching over 60% of the national territory and hosting 7.6% of the Italian population) were selected through a public scrutiny procedure by all the central Administrations composing the National Committee for “Inner Areas” and by the relevant Regions and/or Autonomous Provinces. Governance is entrusted to an ad-hoc Technical Committee (CTAI – Comitato Tecnico Aree Interne), coordinated by the Cohesion Policy Department at the Presidency of the Council of Ministers.
The National Strategy has so far benefited of the following allocations: €90 million pursuant to Stability Law 2014, plus €90 million for 2015-2017 pursuant to Stability Law 2015, and an additional €10 million for 2016-2018 pursuant to Stability Law 2016. As per Budget Law 2018 (Law No. 205/2017, Art. 1(895-896), the National Strategy for “Inner Areas” was further allocated a total of €91.2 million, of which €30 million for 2019, €30 million for 2020, and €31.18 million for 2021, respectively.
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