The government of the island of Sardinia, Italy, has approved an income transfer program for people who decide to move to the region. Those who accept can win up to €15,000 (R$75,700).
The charming island is the second largest in the Mediterranean, and its beaches with turquoise waters combined with Italian cuisine attract thousands of tourists in the European summer – most of them, by the way, came from Russia, which has been sanctioned by the West since the invasion of Ukraine. . The island is also home to the mansions of some powerful people; among them, the country’s former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi.
When the sky closes and the heat leaves, however, the region empties and becomes almost isolated. Sardinia has around 1.6 million inhabitants, despite its area of more than 24 thousand square kilometers (equivalent to almost three times the metropolitan region of São Paulo.
The island is one of the areas with the most centenarians in the world, according to the record books. Young people in the region, on the other hand, seek employment in other Italian areas or abroad, which contributes to the decline and aging of the local population. To reverse this scenario, the government set aside €45 million (R$227 million) to subsidize the arrival of new residents. The information is from the Euronews broadcaster.
But when alms are too much, the saint is suspicious (and may be suspicious). To be one of the beneficiaries of the program, the candidate must move to one of the municipalities in Sardinia with a population of less than 3,000 people. The amount received –not necessarily €15,000– must be used to buy or renovate a house, and the grant cannot exceed half of the total expenditure.
In addition, the beneficiary will need to live in the new property full-time and must register as a permanent resident within 18 months of arriving in the region – so forget about joining the program in the summer and leaving in the winter.
Sardinia’s president, Christian Solinas, wants the program to encourage foreigners to move to the island and encourage those locals to stay in the region.
“Thanks to these contributions, Sardinia becomes fertile ground for those who move there or decide to start a family,” he said. “There can be no growth without a real appreciation of the interior and the most disadvantaged areas. So, we create the conditions for young people to decide to stay and develop the economy of the most fragile territories.”
Similar patterns are common in several other cities in Italy. In recent years, owners and governments of small towns across the country have started to advertise homes for as little as 1 euro – the properties, more often than not, were inherited from elderly people who died without having family around.
Italy’s population is ageing. Last year, 24% of the country’s population was over 65, according to the World Bank. The average age in the European nation today is 46 years – by 2050, it is projected to be 51.
