A €20,000 grant is available to young people under forty who choose to move their residence to Sardinia to work or start a business. A further €30,000 grant is available to those who choose to settle in a municipality with fewer than five thousand inhabitants.
The Regional Council's decision, contained in a resolution approved a few days ago, has received both favorable and dissenting opinions. Among the latter is the Sardinian Reformers, who expressed their support in a statement signed by regional coordinator Aldo Salaris .
The Regional Council has announced the allocation of €56 million in grants of up to €30,000 for those who transfer their residence to Sardinia, diverting resources from structural investments that could create stable jobs, improve services, and make the island truly attractive. We are convinced that depopulation can be countered by addressing the reasons that drive people to leave Sardinia, not by paying for someone to return.
"The decision to allocate such significant resources to this incentive," he explains, "even before assessing its concrete effects, raises questions about the council's priorities and the effectiveness of the strategy adopted. There's also a question of fairness."
According to Salaris, those who should be incentivized are those who already live in Sardinia : "In fact, it is those who have chosen to stay in Sardinia, work, do business, and invest in their local area who deserve the most attention. We need to support those who already contribute to the life of our communities with policies capable of strengthening the local economy. To do this, we need to address structural challenges, starting with healthcare. At the same time, we need to create stable job opportunities, overcoming the seasonality that characterizes the tourism sector with investments in agriculture and livestock, but above all by enhancing our environmental heritage through Forestas and strengthening forestry projects."
"Then," he concludes, "there is the huge challenge of attracting new investments and investors by working on simpler administrative procedures, efficient connections, and favorable conditions for those who want to start a business and create lasting jobs. Offering €30,000 to move to a town with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants isn't enough if services, schools, healthcare, and employment opportunities are lacking. The risk is encouraging a move without creating the conditions to ensure a stable stay."
(Unioneonline/AD)