by InTrieste
Italy’s government has given preliminary approval to a constitutional amendment that would expand Friuli Venezia Giulia’s authority over the protection and preservation of historic, artistic and folk heritage of regional and local interest.
The proposal follows discussions between the government and Massimiliano Fedriga, the region’s governor, and forms part of a broader effort to update the region’s special autonomy statute.
The amendment would transfer responsibility for cultural assets considered not to be of primary national interest to the regional government. The criteria for distinguishing nationally significant heritage from assets of regional or local importance will be established through agreements between the state and the region, along with procedures for implementing the new powers.
The government said the change was intended to simplify and accelerate building and landscape authorization procedures while maintaining protections for cultural and environmental heritage.
In a joint statement, Luca Ciriani, the minister for parliamentary relations, and Alessandro Giuli, the culture minister, said the revision would bring Friuli Venezia Giulia’s statute more closely into line with those of other Italian regions with special autonomous status.
Fedriga welcomed the preliminary approval, describing it as an important step toward strengthening regional autonomy and reducing administrative burdens for properties not considered to be of national interest.
The proposal must now undergo two readings in both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate before the constitutional amendment can be adopted.
