Page 41 - Investing in Bergamo EN

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THE BERGAMO MODEL,
THE VALUE OF SOCIAL COHESION

The “Bergamo Model” is a steering committee for territorial policies, where local
administrations and holders of collective interests have the opportunity to monitor the
economic situation, discuss emergencies, agree on actions, and basically, to create local
economic policies. This is a unique experience in Italy based on the shared value of
social cohesion.
When the crisis began to be felt in 2008, Confindustria Bergamo saw it fit to propose
to Employers’ Representative Organisations, Workers’ Unions, Local Institutions and the
Region, a method of ongoing consultation to monitor the financial performance and to
promote initiatives aimed at supporting activities and labour.
An in-depth survey identified 50 possible actions. In seven years, numerous initiatives
have been launched, initially to deal with the credit crisis, then to cushion the effects of
the hardship produced by unemployment, providing income support, active policies and
training proposals, and finally to develop local policies aimed at facilitating investments
(local taxes).
The “Bergamo Model” produced, among other things, some initiatives on the employment
relationship which were the subject of a protocol of understanding between the parties
involved: from solidarity agreements and apprenticeships, through to labour flexibility. In
cases of business crisis, support actions for relocation were initiated, with the technical
and financial support of the Region and Province.
This allowed the “Bergamo Model” to build a governance system that has been the
subject of study (OECD) and, to some extent, has also influenced the subsequent
national legislative activity. In prospect, it is a unique proposal, at least in Italy, aimed
at developing proposals and initiatives in a territory, especially at this stage, where the
state apparatus is in the process of being reformed and efficiency is being injected into
civil services.
In view of the fact that complex bureaucracy – together with high taxes – are Italy’s
biggest deficit, Confindustria has joined forces with employers to improve and speed
up services and authorisations. Simplification and certain times are the goals that
businesses consider essential in order to be competitive, and the factors that limit the
availability of attractive investment opportunities. The General Meeting of Confindustria
in 2014 decided to focus on the bureaucratic benchmark because the function of
representation and the capacity to propose are the only levers for modernisation which
also involves making difficult choices. Bergamo starts with some advantages because
the economic weight of the civil service is only 10%, with nearby Lecco being the lowest
in Italy.