Italian austerity package “cancels” Molise region

To face the crisis the Italian government approved an urgent austerity package on Friday 13th august. The PM, Silvio Berlusconi and the Economic Minister, Giulio Tremonti, in a press conference announced the main points of the decree for balancing the budget.  The Italian administrative division has 20 regions (Regioni), 110 provinces (Province) and 8,094 municipalities (Comuni). The decree contemplates the reduction of the administrative costs and so all the provincial government with less than 300,000 inhabitants will be cancelled at the end of the term of office. The provinces will be reduced from 110 to 81. The same criteria will be used for the mucipalities. All the local governments with less than 1,000 will be merged or cancelled. Italy is full of little villages and so this decree will be a very strong cut in administrative budget. The real problem is that all of italian Comuni (municipalities) has a centenarian history and that decree is already contested.

There is the interesting case of the Molise Region, the second Italian little one, that is composed by two provinces.

Campobasso, with 231,440 inhabitants, and Isernia with 88,789 both under the limit of 300,000. That means suppression of these two administrative governments. The municipalities (comuni) are 84 in Campobasso province and 52 in Isernia. The limit imposed by the decree will be cancel or merge 35 comuni in Campobasso and 31 in Isernia, almost the 60% of these local governments will disappear. In many Italian provinces or municipalities, where the number of inhabitants is close to the limit imposed by the decree, the mayors announced to call back all the emigrants that are around the world (Australia, USA, Canada, Argentina ecc) and give them a double residence. (They maintain the actual and they obtain again the old one in Italy) This solution will be a good one to save historic munipalities.

Below the list of th Mucipalities (Comuni) potentially merged or cancelled

CAMPOBASSO PROVINCE

Municipality	Inhab.
Acquaviva Collecroce	713
Campochiaro	649
Campolieto	973
Casalciprano	587
Castelbottaccio	373
Castellino del Biferno	629
Cercepiccola	704
Civitacampomarano	569
Colle d’Anchise	812
Duronia	465
Gildone	864
Guardiaregia	766
Limosano	863
Lucito	782
Lupara	567
Macchia Valfortore	645
Molise	165
Monacilioni	612
Montelongo	414
Montemitro	470
Montorio nei Frentani	477
Morrone del Sannio	676
Pietracupa	240
Provvidenti	131
Ripabottoni	570
Roccavivara	890
Salcito	701
San Biase	214
San Felice del Molise	701
San Giovanni in Galdo	654
San Massimo	801
San Polo Matese	485
Sant’Angelo Limosano	353
Tavenna	855
Torella del Sannio	804

ISERNIA PROVINCE

Municipality	Inhab.
Acquaviva d’Isernia	457
Bagnoli del Trigno	779
Belmonte del Sannio	855
Cantalupo nel Sannio	758
Capracotta	961
Castel del Giudice	357
Castelpizzuto	156
Castel San Vincenzo	566
Castelverrino	144
Chiauci	273
Civitanova del Sannio	952
Conca Casale	225
Filignano	729
Forlì del Sannio	753
Longano	735
Macchia d’Isernia	986
Montenero Val Cocchiara	573
Pescolanciano	906
Pescopennataro	316
Pettoranello del Molise	478
Pietrabbondante	840
Pizzone	340
Poggio Sannita	817
Roccasicura	580
San Pietro Avellana	552
Santa Maria del Molise	671
Sant’Angelo del Pesco	378
Sant’Elena Sannita	268
Scapoli	783
Sessano del Molise	784
Vastogirardi	768