The UNESCO site of Pompeii and the European Funds

Achilles on Skyros fresco from Pompeii (National Archaeological Museum of Naples)

Rome [ENA] The UNESCO site of Pompeii has been under excavation to various degrees since 1748. The site has deteriorated over time because of the exposure of the excavated site as well as of the poor excavation techniques. The Great Pompeii Project resulted from an initiative of the Italian government, which enacted Decree Law no. 34/2011 (Art. 2) with the aim to enhance the effectiveness of

of the actions and interventions for protecting the archaeological area of Pompeii by developing a special programme of conservation, maintenance, and restoration. With European Union decision no. C (2012) 2154 of 29th March 2012, it was funded as a Major Project drawing on resources of the Interregional Operational Programme “Cultural, Natural and Tourism Attractors” ERDF2007-2013 (POIn). The European Union project aims to hinder and reverse the deterioration of the site while consolidating different sites into a single excavated area thereby extending the useable area by 23 000 m2. The project is expected to attract an average of 200 000 extra visitors per year.

Several interventions continue to be implemented for the preservation of the Pompeii site. Firstly, a water canalization system for drainage is scheduled for the non-excavated area overlooking the ancient buildings. Through the European Regional Development Fund the structures and urban profile of the site will be consolidated starting with the most high-risk areas. Restoration and enhancement works will be carried out in accordance with innovative preservation methods. Furthermore, the Archaeological Superintendency of Naples and Caserta will be supported in upgrading their technical skills and qualifications.

The EU has been supporting the Pompeii restoration works since the 2000-2006 period. In 2012 the project was allocated EUR 105 million, of which around 40 million have been used in a first phase. The project is supposed to be concluded in December 2018. In an efficient manner, one of Europe’s renowned archaeological sites is being upgraded to ensure it is well protected and to increase the capacity for tourism. The UNESCO site of Pompeii is just one first-rate example to other European Funds interventions, which are strategically important for the sustainable development and competitiveness of Europe.

The European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), established in June 2015 through Regulation (EU) 2015/1017 as the first pillar of the Investment Plan for Europe aims to mobilize EUR 315 bn. into areas that are strategically important. Besides human capital (included in “social infrastructure”), the areas financed include small and medium-sized companies (SMEs), research, innovation and development, energy, digital, transport, and environment and resource efficiency. EFSI could help in promoting investments in skills development projects such as a focus on smaller projects, as well as an expansion of the capacity building mandate for the European Investment Advisory Hub (EIAH) to support investment partners.

For EFSI financing, skills development projects need to be economically and technically viable, mature enough to be bankable, be additional as well as provide an aggregation potential. EFSI can play an important role in aggregating multiple smaller interventions using an investment platform. Overall, there is scope for additional financing and to use EFSI in the area of skills development. The role of social finance in meeting social needs is important. Countries like Denmark, Finland, France and Italy show that socially motivated repayable finance can provide capital for the achievement of social outcomes (outcomes-based commissioning). The necessity for interventions for solving pressing

challenges around unemployment and skills development is large. At the same time, municipalities are keen to adopt new and innovative funding models to solve their pressing societal issues, and government commissioners are encouraged by successful pilot interventions.At the same time, other EU programmes such as EaSI (EU Programme for Employment and Social Innovation) and the European Social Fund (ESF) might be more tailored to support some interventions in the field of human capital and skills development, as they allow for projects with lower or more uncertain returns to be supported. Recently, further guarantees have been provided under EaSI worth a total of € 115 million, using EFSI resources.