On July 11, 2025, the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy published a decree defining the principles, criteria, and terms of benefits for creating jobs and promoting the economy, particularly in the southern part of the country.
Published in the Official Gazette on August 21, 2025, the decree sets the rules for implementing exemptions introduced by articles 17 and 18 of the Law Decree n. 60/2025. It covers the organization and execution of training and support activities for business start-ups, the granting and payment of contributions, the provision of tutoring services for funded initiatives, and the management of grant revocations.
Young people who are unemployed, inactive or marginalized due to their social circumstances or discrimination are the intended beneficiaries of these benefits. To qualify, applicants should be launching economic initiatives that are inactive at the time of grant application. Economic activities aim to start: a) self-employment through opening a VAT number; b) individual enterprise registered with the business register; c) corporate enterprise, registered with the business register; d) freelance professionals in the form of professional companies.
Economic initiatives based in the regions of Piedmont, Valle d’Aosta, Liguria, Lombardy, Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Trentino-Alto Adige, Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Lazio, Umbria, and Marche can apply for the grants. The non-refundable contribution, in the form of a voucher, amounts to 100% of the planned investment, up to 30,000 euros for each initiative. This figure increases to 40,000 euros when purchasing innovative, technological and digital goods and services, or goods intended to ensure environment sustainability or energy saving.
The fund offers a non-repayable drawdown for the execution of comprehensive and functional investment programs. For investments up to 120,000 euros, a contribution of up to 65% of the approved investment program can be granted, decreasing to 60% for amounts above 120,000 euros and up to 200,000 euros.
Measures for the “Resto al SUD” initiative are similar, addressing economic initiatives based in the regions of Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Molise, Puglia, Sardinia, and Sicily. The non-repayable contribution increases to a 100% voucher on the planned investment, up to 50,000 euros, with conditions applied as with northern initiatives. The decree also covers partial or total grant revocations and tutoring services.
