As well as a long and complex path when it comes to opening a business in Italy, you'll also encounter up to 20,000 euros in expenses.
Paperwork and expenses when starting a business in Italy
Paperwork and expenses when starting a business in Italy / Pixabay

If you're thinking of moving to Italy and starting a business is something that is on your radar, then it's important to do your research about the process of legally starting a business in Italy. Bureaucracy is notoriously difficult in Italy, and it appears that things are no different when it comes to creating a business from scratch, as potential business owners face up to 86 bureaucratic steps and hefty expenses. With the help of askanews, let's find out more about Italy's red tape nightmare for budding business owners

"There are many, too many, bureaucratic formalities needed to create a business from scratch. As indicated by the CNA National Observatory, to start a business in Italy you have to deal with long, complex and expensive procedures: up to 86 bureaucratic requirements and almost 20 thousand euros in expenses". This is the conclusion reached by askanews, who also give some examples of how the process looks for certain business plans when it comes to the "Everest of bureaucracy". If you choose to start a car repair business or open a workshop, public administration requires 86 formalities that translate into almost 19 thousand euros in costs to be met. An almost identical climb has to be faced by aspiring carpenters: 78 requirements and 19,700 euros of expenses. Ice cream parlours outnumber bars with 73 formalities compared to 71, while hairdressers fare better, so to speak, with just 65 formalities to be dealt with, as well as a charge of 17,500 euros.

These are just a few of the realities photographed by the CNA National Observatory 'Wherever you go, you find red tape', states the report which measures the negative impact of long, complex and costly procedures for starting up a business in Italy, something which represents a significant brake on the country's economic development. In front of the Parliamentary Simplification Committee, Stefania Milo, vice-president of CNA, recalled that the Confederation has long urged the "fight against bad bureaucracy" and in recent years there has been no lack of good intentions on the part of legislators to rationalise and simplify the bureaucratic apparatus.

However, "despite the efforts made by Parliament, modernisation action still seems inadequate". Elements of inconsistency remain, especially due to "the intertwining of multiple centres of regulatory production" that fuel overlaps and delays in starting up a business in Italy.

The vice-president also highlighted the need to make "a review of the adjustments introduced to the main administrative tools". The coronavirus pandemic and Italy's recovery plan offers a unique opportunity to make the necessary investments in digitalisation, innovation and human capital to modernise public administration. Milo added that it is "fundamental to move in the direction of guaranteeing efficiency on the part of the public administration to accompany and favour the restart of the economy in Italy".