In order to ensure a transparent and participatory debate with the territory for major works of general interest that generate a significant economic, social and environmental impact, Article 22 of Legislative Decree 50/2016 (Procurement Code) introduced the institution of Public Debate, a fundamental participatory democracy tool to ensure maximum inclusion of all stakeholders in the discussion and planning phases of a work.
With the goal of increasing the involvement of local organizations in sharing projects, the scope of works to be subjected to Public Debate, initially defined by DPCM 76/2018, was significantly expanded by Law Decree 77/2021, "Governance of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and first measures to strengthen administrative structures and accelerate and streamline procedures", and then by MIMS Decree 442/2021. By reducing the size thresholds of the projects to be submitted to the procedure, the Decrees expanded the number of works on which stakeholders are called upon to express their opinion, to include those works funded in whole or in part by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) and the National Plan of Complementary Investments (PNC).
Among RFI projects submitted/to be submitted to Public Debate, some - e.g. railway lines affecting several regions - are segmented by 'functional lots', with a separate procedure developed for each one of them. To date, RFI works subjected to Public Debate are at different stages of development.
While the Public Debate procedures on the following works has been completed:
The contribution of works to the Agenda 2030 SDGs
Completion of those works contributes to the achievement of the2030 Agenda Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and in particular to the pursuit of SDG 9, 'Build resilient infrastructure and promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation', with expected effects on the railway infrastructure's quality, reliability, sustainability and resilience. The benefits associated with this objective cut across the 2030 Agenda and are instrumental in the pursuit of other sustainability goals.