The Council of Ministers approved an allocation of 50 million euros for four regions affected by the violent wave of bad weather between March and April 2026. The support mechanism is linked to the National Emergency Fund and will concern Abruzzo, Basilicata, Molise and Puglia.
In this sense, the Meloni Government accepted the proposal of the Minister for Civil Protection and Maritime Policies, Nello Musumeci, on the declaration of a state of emergency for a period of twelve months.
How aid will be distributed to the Regions
The emergency mechanism initially provides resources for the implementation of the first urgent relief interventions. That is, assistance to the population and restoration of the functionality of public services and infrastructures, which also represent strategic assets for the entire nation.
Depending on the extent of the damage and general calculations which will be duly updated along the way, the total sum of 50 million euros released by the executive is divided among the Regions involved according to the following scheme:
- 20 million euros for the Molise Region;
- 15 million euros for the Abruzzo Region;
- 10 million euros for the Puglia Region;
- 5 million for the Basilicata Region.
To make the contributions operational it will be necessary to pass through a series of ordinances signed by the Head of the Civil Protection Department, in agreement with the Regions involved.
How much is the damage caused by bad weather in the Center-South worth?
Cross-referencing calculations and estimates, the overall calculation of the damage caused by the bad weather in the Center-South from March 30 onwards could even exceed 400 million euros. Hence the protest from several small and medium-sized municipalities, which spoke of “inadequate resources” on the part of the government.
The tranche of 50 million euros released by the CDM represents, it must be remembered, only the first step for post-emergency management. Sectoral measures will gradually have to be approved, such as to deal with the consequences for the agricultural sector.
According to the Italian Farmers’ Confederation, the damage to agriculture exceeds 200 million euros, with hundreds of companies and cultivated fields completely underwater and many crops destroyed by frost, flooding and landslides.
How the National Emergency Fund works
From an institutional point of view, when a Region is hit by extreme events (floods, earthquakes, landslides) the Italian State activates a series of well-codified regulatory and financial instruments, with different timing and levels of intervention.
The first step is the declaration of a national state of emergency, decided by the Council of Ministers upon proposal of the Regions involved. This act is based on the Civil Protection Code, which regulates the entire disaster response system. With the declaration, the first resources from the National Emergency Fund, managed by the Department of Civil Protection, are released. This is the current phase that we have analysed.
At this juncture, one or more extraordinary commissioners are appointed (often the president of the Region), with powers derogating from the ordinary legislation. In practice, they can speed up contracts, assignments and urgent interventions, overcoming bureaucratic constraints to guarantee speed.
At the same time, direct economic instruments are activated. Among these, contributions for immediate support (CIS) to affected families and businesses, and the first measures to secure the territory. Subsequently we move on to the more structured phase, with Civil Protection orders which quantify the damage and define the reconstruction interventions.
For more substantial aid, other channels also come into play. The State can refinance the funds through ad hoc laws or decree laws, while at European level the support of the European Union Solidarity Fund can be requested, which intervenes in the event of particularly serious damage.
