Mattarella calls southern brain drain a national interest at Naples anniversary event

Mattarella ties southern youth to the national interest

President Sergio Mattarella spoke briefly at the 20th-anniversary celebration of the Fondazione con il Sud in Naples on 5 November. Citing the foundation's "four verbs", he said people born in the South should be able to choose freely to stay there or return after gaining experience elsewhere, and that people from outside should be able to join them. He presented this as a key to development for the whole country.

“This is a key to development for the entire country; it is in Italy's national interest.”

Mattarella also said the morning session had presented a wide range of third-sector initiatives with concrete prospects, and he thanked the foundation and its president, Stefano Consiglio, for two decades of work. The event was held at the Donnaregina monumental complex, where he was received by Campania regional president Roberto Fico, Naples mayor Gaetano Manfredi, the prefect of Naples Michele Di Bari and Archbishop Domenico Battaglia. After the ceremony he visited the cathedral's quadriportico, where archaeological digs on early Christian finds are under way.

Only four of 57 applications funded

Stefano Consiglio, the foundation's president, said its 2025 Riabitare il Sud initiative drew 57 applications and involved more than 200 third-sector bodies and about 280 small municipalities. The foundation could back only four of those 57 applications, with 8 million euros, plus 1.5 million from a fund against educational poverty among minors. Consiglio said more than fifty territories have built networks and strategies but could not be supported for lack of resources. He warned that this planning capital risks being dispersed, and that the country cannot afford that. He called for a national cohesion initiative to address a problem that goes beyond local boundaries.

Applications received57

Applications supported4

Applications received

57

Applications supported

4

Data from the article text

Three in four Italians worried about depopulation

A survey by the Demopolis institute, conducted for the foundation within its Sud Vivo campaign, was previewed at the event. It found that 73% of Italians are worried about depopulation and want it tackled as a priority, 13 points higher than in its March 2025 survey. Among southern respondents the share rises to 81%. Overall, 82% are worried about young people moving abroad or to the centre-north, a figure that ranges from 74% in the North to 92% in the Mezzogiorno. Concern about falling births is more uniform, with about eight in ten Italians worried.

All Italians, depopulation73%

Southern respondents, depopulation81%

Northern respondents, young people leaving74%

Southern respondents, young people leaving92%

All Italians, depopulation

73 %

Southern respondents, depopulation

81 %

Northern respondents, young people leaving

74 %

Southern respondents, young people leaving

92 %

Data from the article text

Shrinking population and a call for cohesion

Adnkronos reported Istat figures showing the Mezzogiorno lost about 730,000 residents between 2001 and 2023. The least pessimistic projections to 2080 estimate a loss of about 8 million inhabitants. Northern cities also rely on inflows from the South to keep schools, courts, hospitals and police forces staffed. Consiglio said the foundation is not making demands but standing beside young people, many of whom are starting to return, and that departures will continue, which he considers natural in Europe. He argued the priority is attracting incoming flows through fair pay and career prospects in businesses and public administration.

Consiglio concluded that the issue reaches beyond the South:

“If the South is depopulating, it is not only a problem for the South. It is a problem for all of Italy.”