The Municipalities will be crucial players in the implementation of the structural investments envisaged by the Next Generation EU, called upon to manage complex tenders and spend considerable resources, which will add up to those of the 2021-26 Cohesion Policies. To avoid the risk of waste and malfeasance, the European Commission asked Member States to strengthen theiradministrative capacity” at every level of government, and, therefore, also at the municipal level.
The point is that of that capacity, to date, there is no measurement neither in Italy nor in Europe, and this effectively prevents targeted strengthening actions. Because of this, Ethics Foundation has measured the administrative capacity of the provincial capitals, analyzing the level of accountability and performance of areas such as budget, governance, personnel, services, procurement, environment. The analysis was based on the data that Municipalities are required to publish in the Transparent Administration section of their websites, in accordance with the provisions of the so-called 2013 Transparency Decree, and made use of the Public Rating methodology, now also applicable to other European countries, thanks to the pilot project conducted by the Ethics Foundation itself for the European Commission.
The overall results of the measurement are being published, scheduled for early September, close to local elections in the autumn, which will involve many important Municipalities. The publication may constitute one cognitive tool of the local administrative machinery for citizens, and in particular for those I called to vote, and also an orientation compass for the Government, for evidence-based technical support incidents. Before the arrival of European funds, not after.
Here is an excerpt about the ability to manage procurement and select suppliers.
