Risk of corruption rises with decree

(ANSA) - Rome, September 30 - The government's so-called Unblock Italy decree designed to kickstart the economy through spending on infrastructure could make projects more vulnerable to graft, the Bank of Italy said Tuesday.
    The measures, approved by the cabinet in mid-September and now before parliament for conversion into law, contemplate "exemptions from ordinary procedures" that could increase the cost and duration of public works projects and put them at greater risk of corruption, Italy's central bank told the Lower House.
    Separately on Tuesday Italy's competition watchdog warned that the mechanism contained in the decree for awarding motorway concessions was potentially damaging to competition. The decree made up of 44 articles is designed to restart Italy's recession-battered economy through multi-billion-euro infrastructure projects including new highways, railways, and major airport renovations.
    It also gives the government the prerogative of taking over from regions should they fail to spend an estimated 61 billion euros in European Union funds earmarked for infrastructural investments.