Roberto Gerundo, INU – CeNSU
Simone Ombuen, INU – ASviS
Special Economic Zones (Zone Economiche Speciali – ZES) emerged during the second half of the twentieth century in response to the need to revive struggling local economies and promote integration into international markets. Over the years, the model has progressively spread worldwide, particularly in developing countries and emerging economies. In recent years, the Italian regulatory framework has undergone significant reforms aimed at strengthening the system. In particular, Decree-Law No. 124/2023 (converted into Law No. 162/2023) established, as of 1 January 2024, the Single Special Economic Zone (ZES Unica) for Southern Italy, replacing the previous fragmentation into several regional SEZs and, since November 2025, also encompassing the regions of Marche and Umbria. The reform introduced a single digital one-stop shop (SU.ZES) and centralised responsibilities within a national steering committee under the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, while strengthening simplified procedures (Article 5-bis of Decree-Law No. 91/2017) and coordination with the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza – PNRR) for infrastructure and logistics investments in port and port-related areas.
The main incentives include access to tax credits, employment incentives and contribution relief measures, as well as procedural and authorisation simplifications and expedited administrative proceedings.
Between 2024 and the first part of 2026, 1,107 funding applications had been approved, resulting in the creation of more than 41,000 jobs and investments of approximately €30 billion, with approval times reduced to 30 days. Around 50% of these applications concern the relocation (18), transfer (4) or establishment of new productive activities (514). The key planning issue concerns the possibility, under the Single Authorisation procedure, of fully derogating from the provisions of municipal urban plans and territorial and landscape plans, given that the otherwise mandatory opinions of local authorities and regions are not binding. The Administrative Court of Puglia (TAR Puglia) has recently clarified that there is no unlimited “automatic derogation” from municipal urban and commercial planning provisions, reaffirming the need for compliance with the purposes established by the relevant regulations.
The meeting, promoted by a coordination group established among the INU regional sections involved, the Sustainable Cities Working Group 11 of ASviS and SVIMEZ, aims to clarify and distinguish between limited derogations concerning specific regulatory provisions or the location of activities, the expansion of productive areas and other comparable cases, and derogations affecting areas of particular environmental or landscape sensitivity or with significant agricultural production potential. The latter may lead to inappropriate and speculative increases in land values.
PROGRAMME
14:30 Opening
Introduction and moderation
Simone Ombuen, URBIT Scientific Committee, ASviS
15:00 Case Study Presentations
Speakers
“Some Extreme Cases in Apulia”
Francesca Calace and Francesca Pace, INU Apulia
“A Paradigmatic Case: Punta Finanza Facing Tavolara”
Alessandra Casu, INU Sardinia
“Acerra: 31 Amendments to the Urban Plan in Agricultural Areas”
Carmela Auriemma*, Member of Parliament
“Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and Cohesion Policies”
Luigi della Gatta, President of the Caserta Industrial Union
16:15 Discussion
Speakers
Marcello Capucci, Head of Urban Planning, Municipality of Reggio Emilia; former Director of Planning, Emilia-Romagna Region
Giuseppe Di Giacomo Pepe*, Head of the Technical Secretariat, Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Department for the South, SEZ Mission Unit
Paolo Fossati*, Head of the Territorial Planning, Urban Planning and Productive Activities Department, Conference of Regions
Franco Marini, Head of Urban Planning, Municipality of Perugia
Giuseppe Romano*, Head of the Department for the South, Presidency of the Council of Ministers
Marco Sarracino, Member of Parliament, member of the National Secretariat of the Democratic Party, responsible for Territorial Cohesion, Southern Italy and Inner Areas
Moderator and closing remarks
Roberto Gerundo, INU – CeNSU
18:30 Closing of the proceedings
*Awaiting confirmation
Italiano
Contributions