Italian provinces are local institutions halfway between Municipalities and Regions. They represent local people, care about their interests, enhance and coordinate their development.

Provinces are public political institutions whose governmental bodies are elected by local citizens.

The areas of competence of Provinces are: defence and safeguard of their territory and environment, road networks and transportation, protection of local flora and fauna, hunting and fishing in internal waters, safeguard of water resources.

Besides the above functions, Provinces are also entitled to territorial planning and coordination. Some functions were also transferred to Regions pursuant to the reform of Title V, Part II of the Constitution and by Law No. 131 of 5 June 2003 (the so-called "La Loggia Law"). These laws state the principles of devolution, subsidiarity and local governmental autonomy. Following the above regulations, the role and functions of Provinces have changed substantially over the last years.

The Italian constitutional act No. 3/2001 divides the functions between the State and Regions; as far as Provinces are concerned, their functions have widened because new tasks and responsibilities have been transferred to various sectors (labour market, professional and environmental training, road networks).

The Province of Cosenza, when carrying out its functions and mission, is fully committed to implementing programs and projects aimed at the territory's development and growth. Its main task is actually to provide operational assistance to all the Municipalities and Mountain Communities of the provincial area and, furthermore, to represent and care about the interests of the people living in the Province by enhancing economic, social and cultural development.

The Province of Cosenza is entitled to coordination, planning, service management, activity promotion and coordination, it provides technical assistance to Municipalities, makes works of public utility in various sectors, coordinates service supply to people. After the transfer of functions from the Region of Calabria to the Province of Cosenza, 435 staff units have been relocated. As a consequence, the organization of the Province's administrative structures that have received the new functions has changed significantly.

The Province of Cosenza is now entrusted with very demanding tasks concerning the labour market, placements, professional training and school buildings, environment, soil protection, road networks, transportation, actions for economic and social development of the territory.

The mission states the Province's underlying goals pursuant to legislative regulations, while the vision explains what the Province can and longs to become; furthermore, it describes the impact the institution can have on its working area and its path towards the future with regard to local community.

The Province of Cosenza, in pursuit of its own mission to care about the community's interests and enhance and coordinate its development, carried out various actions in 2006 (widely reported in Part II of its Social Budget) inspired by the idea that the Province shall be united in diversity. In particular, the Province is open because it is close to citizens, companies, administrations, associations and to those brains that bind the community together though being themselves diverse; the Province is also plural because it is always in contact with local people and, in particular, with the several existing minorities. The Province of Cosenza longs to become a lifelong workshop on good administrative practices, districts' management, promotion, efficiency, solidarity and testing of new administrative models.

Mission

Development and growth of the territory
Territorial coordination and planning

Vision

Beyond its own skills…