Source: European Union 2 Published on: 2026-05-15
•The EIB, in collaboration with ABI, Confindustria, and Confindustria Campania, organized an event in Naples aimed at promoting the role of the Single ZES as a lever to attract public and private investments in the South. •As part of the initiative, the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and the EIB have signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at strengthening institutional cooperation to support public and private investments in the Single ZES. •The initiative confirms the EIB’s commitment to supporting cohesion, innovation, and the sustainable development of territories The European Investment Bank (EIB), in collaboration with the Italian Banking Association (ABI), Confindustria, and Confindustria Campania, organized the event in Naples calledThe EIB for the Single SEZ: cohesion, innovation, and sustainability,” with the aim of strengthening institutional and financial cooperation to support investments in the Single Special Economic Zone, which from January 1, 2024 includes the regions of Southern Italy and part of Central Italy.
The initiative brought together representatives from national and European institutions, local administrations, and the production and financial systems, confirming the role of the Single ZES as a key tool to coordinate public policies, European resources, and private capital in favor of territorial development.
Among others, the event features speakers including Gelsomina Vigliotti, Vice President of the EIB, Luigi Sbarra, Undersecretary to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers with a mandate for Policies for the South, Giuseppe Romano, Head of the Department for the South, Gaetano Manfredi, Mayor of Naples, Fulvio Bonavitacola, Councillor for Productive Activities and Economic Development of the Campania Region, Natale Mazzuca, Vice President of Confindustria, Emilio De Vizia, President of Confindustria Campania, and Gianfranco Torriero, Deputy General Deputy Director of ABI.
The Vice President of the European Commission, Raffaele Fitto, also participated via video message.
As part of the initiative, theThe EIB and the Presidency of the Council of Ministers have signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at supporting the financing of public and private investments in the territories of the Single ZES.The agreement enhances an already established institutional cooperation and strengthens the role of the Unica ZES as a tool for attracting investments and for the coordination between national policies, European instruments, and private capital.
The Protocol was signed by the Head of the Department for the South of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Giuseppe Romano, and the Head of the EIB Group Office in Italy, Milena Messori, in the presence of Gelsomina Vigliotti, Vice-President of the EIB, and Luigi Sbarra, Undersecretary to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers with responsibility for Policies for the South. “With this agreement, the EIB consolidates its role as the institutional partner of reference for the development policies of the Mezzogiorno,”declared theVice President of the EIB Gelsomina Vigliotti.”The Mezzogiorno represents a strategic priority for the Group: in 2025 alone, we invested almost five billion euros in the country’s cohesion regions, equal to about 40% of our overall activity in Italy, a record unprecedented level.
The agreement signed today helps to strengthen the institutional and operational framework necessary to mobilize public and private investments and improve the quality and impact of projects in the territories of the Single ZES.” For the Undersecretary to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers with responsibility for Policies for the South, Luigi Sbarra: “The signing of the Protocol with the European Investment Bank marks a concrete turning point for the Unique Southern Italy Special Economic Zone in terms of attracting capital and supporting access to credit for new investments.
We aim to make the Unique Special Economic Zone attractive and competitive by integrating European, national, and regional resources and using innovative tools designed to multiply the impact of investments. With this agreement, we also strengthen support for administrations, support strategic projects in the territories, and establish a joint task force with the EIB that will ensure the implementation of the Protocol.
The message is clear: the Unique Special Economic Zone is a priority for the Government, and we are demonstrating this through a long-term vision characterized by public resources, private capital, and investment support measures.
In implementation of the three-year strategic plan of the Single ZES, approved by decree of the President of the Council of Ministers on October 31, 2024, the agreement aims to improve access to credit for businesses and public operators and to support investments in line with the European priorities of cohesion, competitiveness, and innovation.
Within the framework of the agreement, the EIB will be able to intervene through credit lines in favor of SMEs and mid-cap companies, guarantee instruments, direct financing for projects located in the Single Special Economic Zone, and technical assistance services for the financial structuring of investments, with particular attention to strategic supply chains – including agri-food, aerospace, automotive, and shipbuilding – and sectors with high innovative and sustainable content. “The agreement allows for the expansion of medium- to long-term financing offerings, guarantee instruments, and direct financing operations”, he/she/they pointed outThe Head of the Department for the South of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers Giuseppe Romano. “The objective is to promote a more efficient use of available resources, support the development of strategic production chains, and increase the capacity to attract investments in the affected territories, with a view toward greater integration between the national and European levels..” To support the implementation of the agreement, the Protocol provides for the establishment of a joint EIB–ZES Unica Task Force, with periodic meetings, aimed at monitoring the development of the planned instruments, promoting coordination between European resources, national instruments, and EIB financing, and strengthening collaboration with the European Investment Fund.
General information The European Investment Bank Group (EBRD) is the financial arm of the European Union, owned by the 27 Member States, and is one of the world’s leading multilateral development banks.
In 2025, the EIB Group signed 100 billion euros in new financing supporting over 870high-impact projectsineight strategic prioritiesthat contribute topolitical objectivesof the EU: action for the climate and environmental protection, digitalization and technological innovation, security and defense, cohesion, agriculture and bioeconomy, social infrastructure, strong global partnerships and the union of savings and investments.
In addition to granting long-term loans for the construction of major infrastructure, the EIB Group catalyzes private investments for innovative, high-risk companies and projects.
It also plays an increasingly important role in European venture debt, venture capital, guarantees, and securitization markets.In Italy, in 2025 the EIB Group signed 105 new financing agreements for a total of 13.2 billion euros, allocating 56% of the resources to climate action and about 40% to investments in cohesion regions.
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