Recovery, cdm approves, resources for culture are 3%. Franceschini: we will lead the restart

The Council of Ministers has approved the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRP), or the so-called Recovery Plan that will be used to distribute funds from the Next Generation EU plan (the “Recovery Fund”), a 750 billion euro package that the European Union allocates among member countries to respond to the Covid-19 crisis. The text will be before Parliament today and tomorrow, after which the final green light from Brussels should come by Friday, April 30. The NRP is worth a total of 222.1 billion euros: 191.5 are investments financed through the “Recovery and Resilience Facility,” the key instrument of the Next Generation funds, while the remaining 30.6 billion are part of a complementary fund financed through the multi-year budget slippage approved in the April 15 Council of Ministers.

“The Plan,” the government explains in an official note, “also includes a substantial package of reforms, touching on the areas of public administration, justice, regulatory simplification and competition, among others. This is an epoch-making intervention, which aims to repair the economic and social damage of the pandemic crisis, help resolve the structural weaknesses of the Italian economy, and accompany the country on a path of ecological and environmental transition. The Plan’s main beneficiaries are women, young people and the Mezzogiorno, and it makes a substantial contribution to fostering social inclusion and reducing territorial gaps. Overall, 27 percent of the Plan is dedicated to digitization, 40 percent to investments to combat climate change, and more than 10 percent to social cohesion.”

How much is allocated for culture

A total of 6.675 billion is earmarked for culture in the plan (an increase of almost a billion therefore compared to the last draft, when allocations for culture amounted to 5.74 billion): this is 4.275 billion from Next Generation EU funds to which 1.46 billion is added from the Complementary Fund for the “Strategic Plan Major Cultural Attractions,” which finances 14 interventions with this figure. In all, the resources for culture correspond to 3.48 percent of the plan. According to Culture Minister Dario Franceschini, “Culture will lead the country’s restart.” For the owner of the Collegio Romano, “the Recovery plan introduces fundamental resources that demonstrate how culture is at the center of this government’s choices. From interventions on major cultural attractors in metropolitan cities to a major operation to revitalize villages, to intervention on the earthquake-proof safety of places of worship, digitization, creativity and the strengthening of the film industry.”

The “Tourism and Culture 4.0” component of the plan (tourism and culture are in fact combined and worth 6.68 billion) is part of Mission 1, “Digitization, Innovation, Competitiveness, Culture,” which in all is worth 40.73 billion. In the document accompanying the plan, the “enhancement of cultural and tourist heritage” is seen “also as a function of promoting the country’s image and brand.” “The regeneration of tourism and cultural heritage,” the plan states, “will be achieved through a broad program of measures to restructure key tourism and cultural assets. Italy has a unique heritage in the world, but many sites/buildings on the territory require investments aimed at improving attractiveness, accessibility and safety. The investments identified will touch all ’souls’ of the territory will concern cultural sites in large metropolitan areas, exploiting cultural participation as a lever of social inclusion and ’regeneration’. But they will also cover small towns (’boroughs’) and rural areas, to foster the emergence of new tourism/cultural experiences and balance tourist flows in a sustainable way (’overtourism’). Interventions on places will be accompanied by support for tourist facilities, including by raising standards of supply and improving visitor services. All these interventions will follow a philosophy of environmental sustainability, raising the energy efficiency of buildings and renewing the practices of organizing/managing tourist and cultural events in a logic of sustainability.”

“The interventions,” the plan continues, “involve strong cooperation between public actors involved in the implementation of the program so as to facilitate the grounding of the intervention in an area where it is usual for different responsibilities to insist at the central (Administrations) and local (Municipalities, Metropolitan Cities and Regions) levels. In addition, private individuals, citizens and communities will also be involved both in terms of encouraging sponsorship and through forms of multilevel governance, in line with the Faro Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage to Society, and the European Framework for Action on Cultural Heritage, which calls for promoting integrated and participatory approaches in order to generate benefits in the four pillars of sustainable development: the economy, cultural diversity, society and the environment.”

The measures for culture in detail

These are the measures planned for culture:

1. Cultural heritage for the next generation (1.1 billion euros)

1.1 Digital platforms and strategies for access to cultural heritage (500 million euros)
12 projects to increase, organize, integrate, and preserve the digital heritage of archives, libraries, museums, and in general from cultural places; offer citizens and operators new ways of enjoyment; improve the range of services; and develop a cloud infrastructure and softuare for the management of digital resources.

1.2. Removal of physical and cognitive barriers in museums, libraries and archives and investment in accessibility (€300 million)
Implementation of actions for the removal of architectural, sense-perceptive, cultural and cognitive barriers in museums, monumental complexes, archaeological areas and parks, archives and state libraries. Finally, training activities on the subject of cultural heritage enjoyment are carried out.

1.3. Improving the energy efficiency of cinemas, theaters and museums (€300 million).
Provides for the implementation of interventions to promote eco-efficiency and reduction of energy consumption in state museums and cultural sites, as well as theaters and cinemas.

Village regeneration, seismic safety, cultural, rural and religious heritage (€2.720 billion) 2.

2.1 National plan to improve the attractiveness of villages (1.020 billion euros)
A “National Plan Borghi” to enhance the great heritage of history, art, culture and traditions present in Italian villages with enormous landscape-cultural value and great potential for economic growth.

2.2 Protection and enhancement of rural architecture and landscape (600 million euros)
Provides for restoration and upgrading of historic rural buildings and characteristic elements of the landscape, giving priority to eco-friendly solutions. Includes census activities of rural architecture and the collection and exchange of knowledge on rural heritage and landscape.

2.3 Programs to enhance historic parks and gardens (€300 million)
Interventions for the regeneration of about 110 Italian historic parks and gardens by creating the conditions for their sustainable maintenance, management and enjoyment, through: census, digitization, restoration, enhancement and training of operators by building specialized and interdisciplinary skills in view of the recognition of the “Art Gardener” qualification.

2.4 Seismic safety: Recovery Art Conservation Project (€800 million).
Earthquake prevention program for churches, bell towers and towers and restoration work on churches in the Fund for Buildings of Worship (FEC).
Creation of the Center for the Control and Monitoring of Cultural Heritage for the safety of Italian cultural sites.
Recovery Art Conservation Project, creation of 5 temporary warehouses for the protection of mobile Cultural Heritage in case of natural disasters.
Redevelopment of the following decommissioned nuclear power plants and former military facilities:
- Former Nuclear Power Plant of Bosco Marengo (Alessandria)
- Former Nuclear Power Plant of Caorso (Piacenza)
- Former Garigliano Nuclear Power Plant (Caserta)
- Former Cerimant Barracks (Rome)
- Former Casermette (Camerino)

3. Cultural and creative industries 4.0, film industry development: from Cinecittà to the Experimental Center (455 million euros)

3.1 Film industry development - Cinecittà Project and Experimental Cinematography Center (€300 million)
Investment in the film and audiovisual industry to improve its competitiveness. Enhancement of Cinecittà film studios to improve the qualitative and quantitative level of production supply and digitization, increase the attractiveness of large national, European and international productions. The investment also includes the revitalization of training activities, digitization and energy efficiency of the Experimental Center of Cinematography Foundation and an upgrade of the National Film Archive.

3.2 Capacity building of cultural operators to manage the digital and green transition (155 million euros)
Intervention plan to: foster the recovery of the cultural and creative sectors by promoting cultural demand and participation, boosting innovation and the technological and green transition of cultural operators and the active participation of citizens, and improve the ecosystem in which the cultural and creative sectors operate, reduce the ecological footprint of cultural events, and promote innovation and eco-design.

Supplementary funds. Major cultural attractions: 1.460 billion euros for 14 strategic interventions.

Project to develop and strengthen the activities of La Biennale di Venezia in order to build a permanent center of national and international excellence in Venice: 169.556 million euro
2. The Old Port of Trieste: the new renaissance of the city-Trieste: 40 million euros
3. Turin, its Park and its River: memory and future - Turin: 100 million euros
4. European Library of Information and Culture (BEIC) - Milan: 101.574 million euros
5. Enhancement of Genoa’s city walls and system of forts - Genoa: 69.97 million euros
6. Integrated project for the enhancement of the tourist attractiveness of the Po Delta Park areas - Regions of Veneto, Emilia Romagna: 55 million euro
7. Artemio Franchi Stadium redevelopment by Pierluigi Nervi - Florence: 95 million euros
8. URBS. From the city to the Roman countryside - Rome: 105.9 million euros
Mediterranean Museum. Waterfront of Reggio Calabria - Reggio Calabria: 53 million euros
South Coast. Coastal park of culture, tourism, environment - Bari: 75 million euros
11. Recovery of the former Manifattura Tabacchi complex in a cultural key, with creation of the first Auditorium for the City of Palermo - Palermo: 33 million euros
12. Paths through history - Historical trains and cultural itineraries - Various: 435 million euros
13. Integrated project of restoration, fruition and enhancement of the coastal property Colombaia - Sea Castle - Torre Peliade Trapani: 27 million euro

14.Enhancement and urban regeneration of the Real Albergo dei Poveri in Naples and the urban area piazza Carlo III, via Foria, piazza Cavour - Naples: 100 million euro

The first measure, "Cultural Heritage for the Next Generation, " provides investments to create a digital heritage of culture: investments will be used to digitize cultural heritage, facilitating the use of this information and the development of services by the cultural/creative sector. This action line will also support interventions dedicated to improving the accessibility of cultural venues and the environmental sustainability, in terms of energy efficiency, of museums, cinemas and theaters (public and private). Interventions on the “physical” heritage will be accompanied by a major effort to digitize what is kept in museums, archives, libraries and places of culture, so as to enable citizens and professionals to explore new forms of enjoyment of cultural heritage and to have an easier and more effective relationship with the public administration. A national digital infrastructure will collect, integrate and store digital resources, making them available for public enjoyment through dedicated platforms. The creation of new cultural content and the development of high value-added digital services by cultural/creative enterprises and innovative start-ups will also be supported, with the ultimate goal of stimulating an economy based on the circulation of knowledge.

The measure to remove physical and cognitive barriers in museums, libraries and archives also aims to increase access to cultural heritage through full accessibility of cultural venues. Architectural, physical, cognitive, and sensory barriers are a critical issue for Italian cultural sites: many institutions have not yet removed physical barriers, even fewer have addressed the issue of perceptual, cultural, and cognitive barriers that limit cultural experience. In this context, the intervention aims to remove architectural, cultural, and cognitive sense-perceptual barriers in a set of Italian cultural institutions. The interventions will be combined with training activities for administrative staff and cultural workers, promoting a culture of accessibility and developing skills on related legal, reception, cultural mediation and promotion aspects.

As for the intervention on village regeneration, the plan states, this starts from a consideration: “Italian tourist flows are typically catalyzed by a few particularly internationally known attractors. The implications of this polarization are that, on the one hand, the intensive use of the most sought-after cultural places risks wearing them out/impoverishing them in the long run, jeopardizing their preservation sustainability over time; on the other hand, many other places of great artistic/cultural value remain cut off from tourist flows.” Therefore, to disrupt this dynamic, “interventions in support of tourism and culture,” the document says, “will not be focused only on large cities: one line of intervention of the NRP will be dedicated to supporting tourism/cultural development in rural and peripheral areas. The investments will allow the enhancement of the great heritage of history, art, culture and traditions present in small Italian towns and rural areas, supporting the recovery of cultural heritage, the activation of entrepreneurial/commercial initiatives (e.g. new modes of accommodation), revitalizing the socio-economic fabric of the places (e.g. encouraging the revitalization of traditional trades, such as handicrafts), countering the depopulation of the territories and promoting the preservation of the landscape and traditions.”

The plan for the villages will activate interventions aimed at the recovery of historical heritage, the redevelopment of public open spaces (e.g., removing architectural barriers, improving street furniture), and the creation of small cultural services also for tourism purposes. Second, the creation and promotion of new itineraries (e.g., thematic routes, historical routes) and guided tours will be encouraged. Lastly, financial support will be introduced for cultural, creative, tourism, commercial, agribusiness and craft activities aimed at revitalizing local economies by enhancing local products, knowledge and techniques. Therural building plan, on the other hand, will be used to boost a systematic process of upgrading historic rural buildings (owned by private individuals or third sector entities) and protecting the landscape. “Many rural buildings and agricultural structures,” the plan states, “have undergone a progressive process of abandonment, degradation and alteration that has compromised their distinctive characteristics as well as their relationship with the surrounding spaces. Through the recovery of the rural built heritage, the intervention will improve the landscape quality of the national territory, returning to the community an underutilized built heritage that is not accessible to the public. The intervention will have positive effects on local economies, promoting sustainable tourism in rural areas and enhancing production related to agriculture and traditional crafts.” Then there will be an intervention for the rehabilitation of historic parks and gardens, which for the first time has a systematic character and sets up an extensive action of knowledge and recovery of Italian historic parks and gardens with a view to their proper maintenance, management and public enjoyment. Italy, in fact, has about 5,000 protected historic villas, parks and gardens: many of these are publicly owned and open to the public, but they are often in a critical condition. Resources will therefore be allocated for the regeneration of these places and the training of local staff who can care for/preserve them over time.

Important is the plan for earthquake preventive interventions to significantly reduce the risk on the worship heritage and avoid the investment needed for restoration after calamitous events, as well as the ultimate loss of many assets, as unfortunately happens after every earthquake. The plan has three components: the first related to the earthquake-proofing of places of worship, the second to the restoration of the Fondo Edifici di Culto (FEC) heritage, and finally the third aimed at the creation of storage facilities for the sheltering of works of art involved in calamitous events. The earthquakes that have struck Italy over the past 25 years have highlighted the remarkable fragility of historic buildings in the face of natural events. The lack of adequate preventive actions has resulted in considerable damage to cultural heritage over the years, as well as a huge waste of economic resources for post-earthquake reconstruction interventions. Therefore, it is necessary to reconstruct buildings that have suffered damage and to prepare a methodology for the verification of the seismic vulnerability of buildings, avoiding interventions carried out in the emergency phase that often produce an aggravation of the damage to the properties themselves. In this context, it is important to promptly provide for the removal of movable assets from the site of the disaster event, a typical situation in the case of natural disasters with strong exposure of the assets involved to both weather events and theft or voluntary damage. The sheltering of such assets in temporary storage is therefore the only solution to safeguard them. The investment also includes the establishment of the National Functional Center for the Safeguarding of Cultural Assets from Anthropogenic and Natural Hazards (CEFURISC), enabling a more synergistic use of existing technologies and environmental systems for monitoring, surveillance and management of cultural sites.

As for the measure on cultural and creative industries, this includes two lines of intervention. The first concerns investment in the film and audiovisual sector to improve its competitiveness. The revitalization of Cinecittà is considered by the government to be essential for the very existence of film production in Italy and to increase its attractiveness to European and international film and television productions. According to the plan, this will contribute to employment and growth in the sector and generate spin-offs (i.e., tourist and commercial flows related to the accommodation of film and audiovisual companies). The second line of intervention aims to support the evolution of cultural and creative industry operators. This will involve intervening both on industry processes, reviewing public procurement for cultural events in a logic of greater environmental sustainability, and on skills, supporting the capability building of operators on green and digital issues.

As for the investment on Cinecittà, the goal is to enhance the competitiveness of the Italian film and audiovisual sector. The Project is aimed at mitigating the social and economic impact of the crisis with the goal of strengthening economic growth, employment and competitiveness, including by acting on training, with three lines of intervention: Strengthen Cinecittà film studios managed by Istituto Luce Cinecittà SRL (a company in which the Ministry of Economy of Finance holds 100 percent stake and the Ministry of Culture exercises shareholder’s rights) to improve the qualitative and quantitative level of production offerings, increase the attractiveness of major national, European and international productions and be able to compete with major international competitors such as Pinewood, Shepperton, Babelsberg and Korda; Relaunching the activities of the Experimental Center of Cinematography Foundation through infrastructure development (“virtual production live sets”) for professional and educational use through e-learning, to digitization and modernization of the real estate and plant park; Strengthening the professional skills and competencies in the audiovisual sector related especially to fostering technological transition. The overall objective of the investment on capacity building of cultural operatorsand instead is to support the recovery and revitalization of the cultural and creative sectors. The first action line of the intervention (“Supporting the recovery of cultural activities by encouraging innovation and the use of digital technology along the entire value chain”) aims to support the capacity and action of cultural and creative operators to implement innovative approaches, including through digital means, and increase their managerial and economic capacities The second action line of the intervention (“Promoting the green approach throughout the cultural and creative supply chain”) aims to encourage the “green” approach throughout the supply chain, reducing the ecological footprint of cultural production and participation, promoting innovation and inclusive eco-design, including from a circular economy perspective, to steer audiences toward more responsible environmental behavior.

Also planned is a reform on minimum environmental criteria for cultural events: the aim is to improve the ecological footprint of cultural events (exhibitions, festivals, cultural events, musical events) through the inclusion of social and environmental criteria in public procurement for cultural events financed, promoted or organized by the public authority. The systematic and homogeneous application of these criteria will enable the dissemination of more sustainable technologies/products and support the evolution of the operating model of market operators, pushing them to adapt to the new requirements of the public authority.

The measures for tourism

For tourism, the measures remain unchanged from the last draft: 2.4 billion in all divided between the “Digital Tourism Hub” investment (100 million), the “Integrated Funds for the Competitiveness of Tourism Enterprises (1.8 billion) and ”Caput Mundi-Next Generation EU for major tourism events“ (500 million). ”On the tourism front,“ the plan explains, ”the concentration of efforts will include the definition of an ad hoc fund, also with a leverage effect, capable of attracting private investors (EIB support) by defining four action tools such as: tax credit for accommodation facilities, a special section of the guarantee fund, incentives for the aggregation of tourism enterprises, the National Tourism Fund and the Sustainable Tourism Fund. Specifically for the enhancement of the distinctive assets and skills, of tourism resources will be channeled to investment projects in strategic and prestigious real estate units, with the aim of supporting the recovery and growth of hotel chains." The central web platform of Italian tourism will also be strengthened, which, “inspired by the best practices implemented by other countries, will act as a driving force for quality communication of our country’s heritage and offerings and as a tool for aggregating the information and services needed to meet the supply-demand of tourism in Italy.”

Regarding theDigital Tourism Hub, the goal of the project is to create a tool accessible through a dedicated web platform, which allows the connection of the entire tourism ecosystem in order to enhance, integrate, and foster its offer. The investment consists of three lines of intervention: the first is the scaling of the Italia.it portal by improving its user interface, integrating it with additional data sources, and expanding its portfolio of services available to tourists (e.g., assistance and health information) and tourism professions (guides). The implementation of thematic editorial content (e.g., sustainable tourism) and aimed at specific targets (there will be, for example, a section dedicated to Asian tourists), also using social channels, is aimed at increasing the attractiveness for the choice of travel destinations and the scalability of the portal. The second line is the development of a data lake and adoption of artificial intelligence models to analyze (anonymously) data on online user behavior and tourist flows in areas of major and minor interest, in order to better segmentation of demand the data analytics system aggregates into infographics the sectoral data available to the ecosystem of industry players. The third line is the development of a Support Kit for basic digital services (information system for promotion and management of tourism activities, adoption support and training) to benefit small and medium-sized tourism operators in the most backward areas of the country. The expected results intend to strengthen the weakest operators in the challenge of digital transformation by supporting them in expanding and enhancing the quality of services provided.

The second investment includes several measures, including: Fiscal Credit (530 million to increase the quality of tourist hospitality with investments aimed at environmental sustainability to the redevelopment and increase of quality standards of Italian accommodation facilities: a percentage of Non-repayable Fund will be provided to incentivize investments in a complex period such as the post-Covid period); EIB Fund of Funds (Sustainable Tourism, 748 million: aims to be a 1:3 Leverage Fund capable of generating more than two billion investments in the areas: (a) mountain tourism for both infrastructure and accommodation services; (b) the Business sector and top quality tourism offerings; (c) in sustainable tourism and the upgrade of movable and immovable assets related to tourism activity); Enhancement of the National Tourism Fund (150 million) intended for the redevelopment of properties with high tourism potential, particularly the most iconic hotels, in order to enhance the identity of hospitality Italian excellence, and encourage the entry of new private capital, other public funds; Special Tourism Section of the Central Guarantee Fund (358 million) to facilitate access to credit for entrepreneurs running an existing business or for young people who intend to start their own business; Participation of the Ministry of Tourism in the capital of the National Tourism Fund, a fund of real estate funds with the aim of acquiring, renovating and upgrading Italian hotel facilities (1.500 hotel rooms), protecting strategic and prestigious real estate properties and supporting recovery and growth of hotel chains operating in Italy, especially in southern regions.

Finally, the third action, “Caput Mundi-Next Generation EU for major tourism events” (500 million) aims to turn special attention to the country’s tourism heritage by taking advantage of major events. Through “Caput Mundi,” the plan aims to develop a sustainable tourism model in one of the country’s major tourism hubs and also in connection with the Jubilee event. The idea is to create a national tourist itinerary that moving from the Capital will bring tourism along often lesser-known national routes. The historic routes that lead from Rome to all of Italy will be exploited: therefore, a differentiated offer will be proposed by type of tourist, from pilgrim, family, business tourism, experiential tourism, adventure tourism to eno-gastronomic tourism. The project also aims at training and creating new jobs in the tourism sector to manage the restored complexes. The goal is to relieve congestion at major cultural attractions (“over-tourism”), major archaeological sites and museums, as well as churches in old town centers. In addition, a tourist app will be developed dedicated to all actions carried out, as a container of tourist, cultural and logistical information. The cities, according to the plan, will have the opportunity to present themselves in a renewed, greener and more usable guise also thanks to the exploitation of digital technologies that will allow for better management of access and routes. Finally, the tourist vocation will be reconciled with the lives of citizens with projects of inclusion and active participation and with the expansion of tourist flows to outlying areas.

Specifically, the resources allocated will go to: Rome’s cultural heritage for Next Generation EU: regeneration and restoration of the cultural and urban heritage and complexes of high historical and architectural value; From Pagan Rome to Christian Rome: safety, earthquake-proofing and restoration interventions of public places and buildings of historical interest along the City’s Jubilee paths; #Lacittàcondivisa: redevelopment of the City’s peripheral areas and thematic sites (archaeological areas, palaces) located in the extensive peripheral areas outside Rome; #Mitingodiverde: renovation and restoration of parks, historic gardens, fountains and villas; #Roma4.0: digitization of cultural services; #Amanotesa: increasing cultural offerings in the suburbs to promote social inclusion (e.g., #Roma4, removal of architectural, sensory, cultural and cognitive barriers of access to cultural venues, support for families and fragile individuals).

Finally, the Recovery Plan also provides for the reform of the ordering of the professions of tour guides: the aim of the reform is to give, while respecting local autonomy, a professional order to tour guides and their area of belonging. “The systematic and homogeneous application of the reform,” the plan notes, “would allow the regulation of the basic principles of the profession and standardize the levels of service provision throughout the country, producing a positive effect on the market.”

Recovery, cdm approves, resources for culture are 3%. Franceschini: we will lead the restart

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