The “Zona Economica Speciale (ZES) Unica” (Unique Special Economic Zone) for the South of Italy was established on January 1, 2024, by Law 162/2023, to boost economic development in southern Italy by providing significant opportunities for companies investing in these areas.

The “ZES Unica” includes the territories of the following Italian regions: Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Molise, Puglia, Sicily and Sardinia.

Tax incentives and administrative simplifications are provided to stimulate investment in the regions of the “ZES Unica”: 

• Tax credit: enterprises making new investments in capital goods are eligible for a tax credit;

• Administrative simplification: the “ZES Unica” tends to simplify procedures and paperwork, reducing time and costs for enterprises;

• Single authorization: a single authorization is provided for the implementation of projects, speeding up the approval process.

With reference to the tax credit, companies that acquire capital goods for use in existing production facilities or that are built in the Special Economic Zone for the South of Itay can acquire a subsidy in the form of a tax credit. The investments eligible to benefit from the tax credit are purchase of new capital goods, land and real estate. 

Budget Law 2025 (Law No. 207 of Dec. 30, 2024) provided a tax credit in favor of investments made in the “ZES Unica” from Jan. 1, 2025 to Nov. 15, 2025. 

The tax credit is commensurate with the total amount of investments made from January 1, 2025 to November 15, 2025 up to a maximum limit, for each investment project, of 100 million euros. Investment projects of less than 200,000.0 euros are not eligible for the tax credit.

Below are the percentages of the tax credit recognized:

To take advantage of the tax credit, it is necessary to:

• submit “original communication” to the Internal Revenue Service from March 31, 2025 to May 30, 2025 indicating the amount of investment already made and/or to be made in the period from January 1 to November 15, 2025;
• submit, upon completion of the investment, a certification (issued by the auditor or an authorized company) attesting to the expenses actually incurred in the realization of the investment;
• submit “supplementary communication” to the Internal Revenue Service, under penalty of forfeiture of the subsidy, in the period November 18, 2025 - December 2, 2025, to certify that the investments were made by the November 15 deadline.

The “ZES Unica” represents an important opportunity for companies wishing to invest in southern Italy, thus contributing to the economic development of these regions.