(Finance) – Also in 2024, properties and buildings destroyed or unusable due to natural disasters will be excluded from the calculation of real estate assets, and therefore will not weigh on the financial situation. There budget law 2024, explains the explanatory report, extends to the whole of next year “the provision which excludes from the calculation of the real estate assets, for the purposes of ascertaining the indicator of the financial situation, properties and buildings owned by property destroyed or uninhabitable following natural disasters , within the spending limit of 2 million euros per year”.
Still within the scope of the strategy to deal with natural disasters, the budget law also provides that from next year companies will have theobligation to take out an insurance policy against natural catastrophesi, under penalty of exclusion from any state aid. And insurance companies will not be able to refuse to insure against catastrophes, otherwise they will be forced to pay fines of between 200 thousand and one million euros. But they will not assume the risk of having to pay billions in compensation on their own: they will in turn be able to reinsure themselves with Sace, transferring 50% of that risk to the state vehicle in exchange for the payment of a premium. Despite protests from business associations, who do not want new charges, the government went ahead and maintained the insurance obligation in the text of the budget law submitted to the Senate. Companies will have to insure land, buildings and machinery, by 31 December 2024, to cover themselves from damage caused by earthquakes, floods, landslides, inundations and overflows. If they do not do so, they will be excluded from contributions, subsidies or public benefits, even those provided for calamitous events. Agricultural companies which already have basic mutual coverage against damage to production (Agricat) are exempt.
Furthermore, the earthquake areas of L’Aquila and Central Italy they will be able to use the resources already available for technical assistance from the National Plan for Complementary Investments (the Pnc, which integrates the Pnrr with national resources) against hydrogeological instability. Finally, Sace will be able to provide new guarantees to companies for investments that mitigate the effects of the climate or strengthen adaptation to extreme weather.
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