WTI Magazine #13 2014 Jan, 17
Author : Destinazione Italia Translation by:
Developed in close coordination with the economic policy priorities set out in the Economic and Financial Planning Document, Destinazione Italia establishes a set of measures to foster inbound investments in a cohesive and structural manner and increase Italian companies' competitiveness. These measures will be introduced to our legal system following a timescale on which the Government's agenda will be based.
In its initial version, Destinazione Italia consists of 50 measures whose goal is to reform a broad range of sectors, from tax to employment and civil justice to research; to enhance and build upon our assets; and to develop investment-focused policies to promote our country at the international level. Every week We the Italians will promote 2 of these measures
3) STANDARDISED PERMIT PROCEDURES AND FORMS
Problem/opportunity: greater nation-wide uniformity is needed in the procedures and forms for applying for permits necessary to begin a productive activity.
Solution: the approval of standard nation-wide procedures and forms for obtaining permits for
large-scale productive activities: construction and environment (within the month of November); SUAP ("one-stop shop" for productive activities, within the month of January).
• Hiring
Once they have obtained the necessary operating permits, businesses must be able to rely on a supply of qualified human capital. In order to hire, they will have to be placed in a position to understand the laws governing the labour contract, and – another equally important aspect – must have contractual instruments at their disposal that encourage access to the job market by young and qualified personnel. Moreover, excessively high labour costs limit the attraction of investments in Italy. A determined commitment to reducing the labour tax wedge has been widely hailed in both political and social spheres, and the government intends to proceed in that direction.
Problem/opportunity: Italian labour legislation underwent deep reform in 2012; in the summer of 2013 those aspects that oversight of the new legislation had identified as problematic were improved. For example, entry flexibility was increased, tools were introduced for hiring by the small business network, and the use of apprenticeships and training internships was simplified. The reform process needs to proceed in an incisive manner.
4) ADAPT LABOUR CONTRACT RULES TO NEW INVESTMENTS
For the purpose of encouraging new investments with an employment potential above a certain threshold, a legislative intervention is proposed that aims to enhance agreements with management and labour to establish specific provisions on employment conditions, intended to operate for a pre-determined period in the initial phase of the activity. This will allow management and labour, to enhance their mutual benefit while maintaining fundamental principles and criteria, to adapt the general legislation to the specific needs associated with the new activity and to the consequent generation of new jobs, affording enterprises regulatory certainty within the envisaged timeframe.
