SU.PRE.ME. Italia

The SU.PR.EME. (the South as a major Player in overcoming Crises within the context of severe labour exploitation and the marginality of migrant citizens legally residing in the 5 least developed regions of Italy) Italia Programme is funded by the AMIF – Emergency Funds (AP2019) of the European Commission – DG Migration and Home Affairs.

The Programme is led by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies - DG Immigration (Lead partner) assisted by Puglia Region (Coordinating Partner) and in partnership with Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, and Sicilia Regions, the National Labour Inspectorate, the IOM, and NOVA National Consortium for social innovation.

SU.PR.EME. is part of Italy's three-year plan tackling labour exploitation in agriculture and the phenomenon of illegal gangmastering, recently approved within the special round table ongangmastering at the Directorate-General for Immigration of the Italian Ministry of Labour and Social Security.

The programme provides for the implementation of an integrated special plan of intervention aimed at tackling and overcoming all forms of severe labour exploitation and serious marginality and vulnerability of migrant workers in the toughest areas of the five Southern Italian regions involved in the actions.

The programme's activities are aimed at pursuing specific objectives in the following areas of intervention:

HOUSING

Improving housing conditions, thus contributing to overcome informal settlements and ghettos in agricultural areas with a high density of seasonal migrant workers, including through individualized and collective processes fostering independence and emancipation.

WORK

Promoting overcoming of conditions of illegality through preventive, monitoring, inspection and legalization actions in situations of severe labour exploitation in agriculture and the piloting of experimental projects in social farming.

SERVICES

Strengthening health services for migrant workers, spreading information to facilitate access to local services, and offering transport and mobility solutions to support the workers' achievement of autonomy and weaken the role of illegal intermediaries.

INTEGRATION

Promoting sustainable processes of migrant communities' social and economic integration and their active participation in social life in the areas where the programme takes place in collaboration with local civil society and other local actors.

GOVERNANCE

Enhancing regional and interregional innovation in governance, fostering effective intervention models to be adopted by Public Administrations in order to manage the social complexity of the phenomenon.

The main areas involved in the programme's activities are Manfredonia, San Severo, Cerignola (Foggia), and the surroundings of Nardò (Lecce) in Puglia; Sibari, Corigliano, the coastal areas of the Crotonese, Marchesato, and Alto Tirreno, the municipality of San Ferdinando, the plains of Gioia Tauro, Sibari, and Sant'Eufemia in the provinces of Cosenza, Reggio Calabria, Catanzaro, and Crotone in Calabria; Ragusa, Vittoria, and Marina di Acate in Sicilia; Vulture-Melfese and alto Bradano, the plain of Metaponto, the Val d'Agri, Senisese, and Lagonegrese in the provinces of Matera and Potenza in Basilicata; the Plain of Sele, Eboli, Castel Volturno, and Mondragone in the province of Caserta in Campania.

A few figures

The programme is targeted to an audience of between 18,000 and 21,000 seasonal migrant workers employed in the agricultural industry of the five regions involved. The main expected results are the following: remodeling of publicly-owned properties to be used as guesthouses for migrant workers, offering them decent living conditions and supporting them in achieving autonomy; setting up of social poles to guide beneficiaries in accessing local services; strengthening of inspection activities for uncovering undeclared work and foster legality; offering dedicated health services as well as transport and mobility services for beneficiaries to reach their workplaces; activation of 10 social farming pilot projects aimed at improving migrant workers' housing and working autonomy; fostering the integration of beneficiaries into local communities through the active involvement of civil society; strengthening and innovating governance strategies tackling the illegal gangmastering phenomenon at regional and interregional level.

Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund - AMIF SU.PR.EME.