Important step forward towards the establishment of a Simplified Logistics Zone (ZLS) in Tuscany. The regional council has in fact approved the new version of the technical proposal for the establishment of the ZLS, in an attempt to speed up a process that has been pending for at least a couple of years. The technical changes requested by the Council of Ministers were made to the previous version, which was approved in April 2022, in mid-April 2024. Now Tuscany, which has urged the conference of Regions to ensure that the institution is achieved quickly, hopes to get the signature of the founding decree by the Government and conclude an affair that has lasted for over 6 years.
According to the economic councilor, who hopes we can soon move from words to deeds, with the approval of these marginal changes requested by the government it is finally possible to conclude the process started some time ago for the establishment of the Zls Toscana, an instrument decisive for the logistical aspects of the entire regional territory, but in particular for the coastal area, with the complex industrial crisis areas of Livorno and Piombino and the industrial crisis area of the Province of Massa-Carrara.
The Simplified Logistics Zones, together with the Special Economic Zones, are two tools introduced by the government in 2018 which give the Regions the possibility of identifying functional zones based on port infrastructures, in which incentive and administrative conditions particularly favorable to businesses apply, for a maximum duration of 7 years, extendable for a further 7. SEZs and ZLSs follow models now widespread at European and global level which aim to improve the productivity of entire areas, increase employment and regional economic and social development, being able to count on, and develop, an interconnected and effective logistics system. Thus, areas with strong production capacity are developed, in which favorable economic-legal regimes are established in derogation of ordinary legislation, closely connected with the main logistics hubs (ports, interports).
In Tuscany, a ‘polycentric’ ZLS structure has been configured, which aims to involve and functionally integrate, starting from the 4 port areas of the Coast (Livorno, Piombino, Marina di Carrara, Portoferraio), the other main regional logistics infrastructures such as the the Tuscan Amerigo Vespucci interport of Guasticce in Livorno and the Pisa airport as proximity nodes, as well as the central Tuscany interport of Prato as a modal connection node.
The Region sent the first technical proposal for establishment in July 2020. A few months later, November 2020, the response from the Government containing some observations immediately implemented and included in the second version, sent in February 2021. We therefore arrive in June of the same year, with another request for further changes and with the sending of the third version at the end of November 2021. Then, after making further changes expected at European level, the fourth proposal was sent in June 2022. After almost two years we arrived at the fifth proposal which implemented some marginal changes requested by the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
