Environmental Protection (Protezione ambientale)

Italian expenditure on environmental protection in 2025 amounts to approximately €21.6 billion, corresponding to about 2.4% of total public expenditure. These resources are allocated to finance the activities of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry and the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security. This expenditure includes funding aimed at promoting development and addressing territorial socio-economic imbalances, resources allocated to cover liabilities contracted by Ilva, incentives designed to encourage young people to enter the agricultural sector, expenditure related to territorial protection and the safeguarding of environmental resources, and, finally, spending associated with land protection for energy production purposes.

Specifically, the 2025 Budget Law provides for expenditure of approximately €1 billion under the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry, mainly allocated to European rural development policies, predominantly covered under Programme 1.1 of the Ministry’s budget. Another significant share of expenditure is allocated to the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security, amounting to approximately €3.2 billion, which is primarily used for environmental protection and research into new energy resources, addressed respectively under Mission 1 and Mission 5 of the Ministry’s budget. Finally, the remaining expenditure, amounting to approximately €17.4 billion, is managed by the Ministry of Economy and Finance and is aimed at rebalancing territorial socio-economic disparities, addressed under Mission 20 of the Ministry’s budget.

Expenditure on environmental protection includes several components, such as:

• Incentives and contributions: mainly granted to young people in order to encourage initiatives and professional pathways within this sector, particularly in agriculture.
• Research and innovation: resources allocated to the research and development of new sustainable energy sources, with the aim of reducing pollution and the exploitation of natural resources.
• Personnel: costs related to salaries of staff engaged in territorial and environmental protection activities.

Overall, based on the 2025–2027 budgets of the various Ministries, a significant reduction in expenditure in this sector is expected.