By Martha Moss - 1st December 2009
Regional policy commissioner Pawel Samecki has revealed how EU funds are being used to help fight organised crime in southern Italy.
Samecki said on Tuesday that projects supported by Europe's regional development fund (ERDF) are helping to "transform seized assets", by creating new jobs and "providing hope in areas long blighted by high unemployment and criminality".
He told reporters that €64m would be made available under the EU cohesion policy between 2007 and 2013 to help re-develop property seized from the mafia.
"We all know that we have difficulties with development in the south of Italy," said Samecki. "The presence of organised crime is one of the greatest challenges to economic development in the Mezzorgiorno.
"Organised crime is a constraint to growth and the local economy. That is why this development is supported by EU funds and that is why we need to narrow the development gap.
"We believe that it's crucial to support any effort to reduce the presence of organised crime."
The total cost of pilot projects to convert former mafia land and property for the 2000-2006 period amounted to €22m, with half of this coming from the EU budget, the commissioner said. This will increase to more than €45m of ERDF under the next budget period.
"What is important in this project is that properties confiscated from some of the most dangerous mafia bosses are converted into legal economic activities such as vineyards, pasta factories or tourist accommodation," he said.
"Having local, legal activities in these areas carry quite a symbolic impact for the local population and society.
"These projects demonstrate that it is possible to have a decent, honest and fruitful economic activity and this contributes to the social and economic development of the region."
Antonio Maruccia, Italy's special commissioner responsible for managing properties seized from criminal organisations, highlighted Italy's anti-mafia legislation which means that property confiscated from the mafia must come under public ownership.
With mafia bosses often returning after property had been taken, he stressed the importance of public support and security provisions "to ensure that legality can be sustained".
Nicola Izzo, deputy head of the Italian police force spoke of a great success over the past year in combating organised crime, with 42 people arrested between May 2008 and September 2009.
However, he said there were often difficulties in using EU funds, and called on the commission to increase flexibility.
Lucio Guarino, head of the development and legality association in Sicily, set out projects aimed at using seized land to create employment opportunities for young people in the area.
"We had a very ambitious set of objectives - I don't think anyone would have attempted this nine years ago," he said.
For example, EU funds helped pay for the €606,000 agritourism centre on land confiscated from Sicilian mafia member Salvatore Riina.
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