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 |
