The President of ANCI Lazio, Daniele Sinibaldi, spoke at the panel discussion dedicated to inland areas. At the centre of the debate were services, administrative capacity, depopulation and practical tools to support small municipalities.
They took place on Wednesday 24 September in Carpineto Romano, at Piazza Cardinal G. Pecci, the “National Assembly of the Inland Areas – Fragile and peripheral territories in transition”, an important moment of discussion dedicated to the development prospects of inland areas and the role of small municipalities.
The initiative was attended by President of ANCI Lazio and Mayor of Rieti, Daniele Sinibaldi, together with numerous institutional representatives and local administrators. Following the greetings from the Mayor of Carpineto Romano Stefano Cacciotti and of the President of the City Council Graziano Astri, the round table featured speeches by, amongst others, Claudio Risso, Annamaria Bilancia, Francesco Colagrossi, Angelo Borgna, Alessandro Palombi, Marco Silvestroni, Achille Bellucci, Luca Abruzzesetti, Claudio Crocetta, Marco Carpineti and the President of the Council of Local Authorities of Lazio Luisa Piacentini. The proceedings were chaired by Riccardo Cristiani, local councillor for Carpineto Romano with responsibility for the implementation of the SNAI.
In his speech, the President Daniele Sinibaldi he reiterated the central role of local authorities in policies aimed at inner areas and the need to address the issue not only through new funding, but by acting on the administrative capacity of the authorities, staff availability and the practical ability to guarantee services to citizens.
An issue that concerns smaller municipalities in particular, which are called upon daily to manage increasingly complex procedures with administrative structures that are often undersized. Hence the need to build support and assistance tools that enable administrators to transform funding opportunities into genuinely achievable interventions.
Sinibaldi also underlined the importance of increasingly close collaboration between Lazio Region, ANCI Lazio and local administrations, so that policies for inland areas start from the real needs of the territories and the ability to ensure services, opportunities and conditions that make it possible to continue living and working in small towns.
The theme of inner areas represents a challenge involving essential services, mobility, work, the protection of environmental and cultural heritage, and opportunities for new generations: issues that directly concern the sustainability of local communities and the fight against depopulation.
To conclude the proceedings was Giancarlo Righini, Regional Councillor for Budget, Economic Planning, Agriculture and Food Sovereignty, Hunting and Fishing, Parks and Forests of the Lazio Region, which reiterated the regional administration's focus on local authorities and, in particular, smaller communities.
Righini has called back the renewed agreement with ANCI Lazio, underlining the Region's willingness to give continuity to and strengthen the collaboration tools already initiated. In particular, the Councillor recalled the allocation of 850 thousand euros in the latest budget amendment, intended to strengthen support for small municipalities.
One of the new features announced concerns the activation, along with ANCI Lazio, of territorial offices in the various provinces, with the aim of providing authorities with technical, administrative and accounting support. An initiative specifically designed to respond to the difficulties of administrations with reduced staff complements which, despite this, are required to face increasingly complex duties and responsibilities.
The Councillor also anticipated the Region's intention to launch discussions with ANCI and local authority representatives as early as October with a view to drafting the 2027-2029 forecast budget, inviting the Mayors to formulate proposals and guidance useful for regional planning.
The Stati Generali of Carpineto Romano thus represented an opportunity to bring the needs of inland area communities back to the centre of institutional debate, confirming the need for shared action between the different levels of government.
ANCI Lazio will continue to work to ensure that small municipalities have available not only resources, but also the tools, skills and assistance necessary to use them and to guarantee services and development prospects for their communities.