Evaluation of the strategy for inland areas for the 2021–2027 programming cycle

Documentary analysis, impact assessment and interviews with local stakeholders

This study was commissioned from IRPET by the Managing Authority for the ERDF and ESF+ of the Region of Tuscany (Activity 1). The report was edited by Sabrina Iommi, head of IRPET’s ‘Local Systems, Culture and Tourism’ research unit. The impact estimates were carried out by Renato Paniccià (input-output) and Giuseppe Francesco Gori (diff-in-diff). We would like to thank Paolo Chini for digitising the questionnaire and Elena Zangheri for transcribing the interviews. The report was laid out by Elena Zangheri.

This report provides an evaluative analysis of the Strategy for Inland Areas in Tuscany during the transition from the nationally-led pilot version for the 2014–2020 cycle to the regionally-led version for the 2021–2027 cycle.

This study employs a variety of methods and tools. Through an analysis of national and regional planning documents, it highlights the main changes that took place between the first and second cycles with regard to the territories included and the resources allocated. It then analyses in detail the strategy documents for the 2021–2027 planning cycle of the six beneficiary areas identified by the Region of Tuscany, assessing their characteristics and consistency. Two different estimates of the strategy’s economic impact are provided: the expected impacts of the new planned funding and the differential effect on the propensity to invest among the local authorities included in the first pilot cycle. Finally, the views of local stakeholders – gathered through a series of semi-structured interviews – are analysed with regard to the operational mechanisms of integrated territorial planning and its overall effectiveness.

The main findings of the evaluation are as follows.

Compared with the 2014–2020 pilot scheme, the number of areas involved has risen from three to six and planned investment has increased from 27 to 96 million euros, with EU funds accounting for the majority (92 per cent) and the ERDF playing a dominant role. This change has led to an increase in per capita resources, but has also altered the nature of the interventions, which are now more closely tied to cohesion policy and focused on the green transition, digitalisation and urban regeneration.

The expected impacts are multi-dimensional: infrastructure projects enhance the region’s attractiveness and safety; energy projects boost business competitiveness; and social projects foster social cohesion and human capital. The economic assessment of ERDF investments indicates a total multiplier effect of 43 million in added value, with approximately half of the benefits accruing directly to inland areas. The small municipalities involved in the previous 2014–2020 strategy also show structural growth in their investment capacity, suggesting that the SNAI has had a lasting effect on administrative strengthening.

The views of stakeholders, gathered through interviews and questionnaires, acknowledge improvements in planning times between the first and second cycles and give a positive assessment of the support provided by ANCI Toscana, but also highlight significant issues: the procedures remain highly complex; the use of EU funds imposes strict thematic constraints on investments; in some cases, it requires a substantial financial contribution, which is often unsustainable for municipal budgets; and it entails a very onerous workload in terms of monitoring and reporting procedures, which local authorities cannot manage without the allocation of additional staff to their offices.

Despite the operational difficulties, the overall assessment of the Strategy is positive. Stakeholders regard the Strategy for Inland Areas as the key instrument for enabling small, outlying municipalities to establish shared development pathways and plan the relevant investments; they therefore call for its continuity to be ensured and for its procedures to be simplified.