Brussels, 6 March 2025
Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto visits Italy on 5 and 6 March to discuss the implementation of Cohesion Policy. His visit will focus on the upcoming mid-term review of Cohesion Policy programmes, which offers Member States and regions the opportunity to reallocate funding to address emerging priorities, such as competitiveness and housing.
The visit includes meetings with the Italian Government, including with Vice PM and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, Vice PM and Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Matteo Salvini and Minister of Economy and Finance Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti. The EVP will also meet with regional governors and local authority representatives who play a crucial role in implementing Cohesion Policy, and their involvement is key in the discussions on present and future Cohesion Policy.
This afternoon, EVP Fitto will exchange with Massimiliano Fedriga, President of the Conference of the Regions and President of Friuli-Venezia Giulia region on the possibilities of the mid-term review to address competitiveness and accompany the industrial transition of the regions. Later, he will exchange with FM Tajani.
Tomorrow, EVP Fitto will meet Minister Salvini exchanging on housing and transport financing via RRF and the Automotive Industrial Action Plan. This meeting will be followed by talks with representatives of ANCI, the National Association of Italian, presided by Gaetano Manfredi, mayor of Naples, to address both the successes and challenges of implementing Cohesion Policy and the RRF at the local level, with a focus on housing and the EU agenda for cities. Finally, he will meet the Minister for European Affairs, Cohesion Policy and RRF Tommaso Foti and Minister Giorgetti focusing on Italy’s strategic approach to implementation of these key EU instruments, and the needed reforms.
Source – EU Commission