No Achilles heel, Puglia offers 'A Way of Life'

 ROME -- Apulia is increasingly leading the way for sustainability and lifestyle in Italy. Senior representatives of the Puglia region gathered at the Foreign Press Association in Rome on Wednesday for the fifth edition of the "Puglia, A Way of Life" workshop, demonstrating their exciting and novel approach.

 According to Cetti Lauteta, partner at The European House, Puglia was the fastest growing Italian region since Covid. Her project, Verso Sud, has put together a Mediterranean Sustainable Development Index under which Southern Italy ranks third out of 20 regions. This repositions Italy’s focus from the European context towards the Mediterranean - a historical area of interest for the country. 

 Furthermore the “heel” of Italy has the second highest business start up rate in the South after Campania - not to mention being the highest investor of EU funds. Lauteta highlighted these as key measures to combat the region's youth migration alongside better human capital expenditure. 

 Puglia has spent its EU funds primarily on agriculture, SMEs, education and transport, with 142 new hybrid and electric buses, and 72 new trains - of which 4 are hydrogen-powered. Francesca Zampano, Regional Director, emphasized the region's success in growing business and tourism. According to Zampano, Puglia has one of the largest Aerospace sectors in Italy.

 Cristiana Rogate, creator of "Refe – Strategie di sviluppo sostenibile" (Refe – Sustainable Development Strategies) introduced the digital platform "Tutta la Puglia che c'è" (All of Puglia's resources). The portal provides live statistics on the regional government's projects based on the shared goals of the 2030 Agenda. Comms specialist Monica Montenegro gave a demo of the website’s user-friendly nature which invites stakeholders and citizens to participate in the regional government. You can access the portal at: ladifferenzasivede.regione.puglia.it

 Michele Emiliano, president of the Puglia Region, stated that Puglia was growing rapidly with transparency in mind. He reinforced the importance of the internet portal "that summarizes all regional government actions over the past ten years [..] a transparent tool that allows for concrete insights into Puglia's success.” 

 President Emiliano also defended the region’s decision to retain public ownership of its water supply as part of its focus on sustainability. He proudly explained how this has created “the cleanest bathing water in Italy” due to the proper treatment of waste water. Puglia also boasts the highest solar power output in the country. 

 The fifth edition of the "Puglia, A Way of Life" workshop, goes a long way in rebuking the unfair stereotype associated with Italy’s South. Instead, Puglia is developing an approach to inclusive economic growth which is beginning to attract the attention of outsiders.