10/10/2001

Article 22 of Italy’s 2002 Financial law stipulates that the management of all state museum services will be opened up to the private sector on a concessionary basis, extending current regulations that allow only certain additional services such as ticket offices and bookshops to be opened privately. The concession will last at least 5 years and will require payment of an advance sum of at least half of the relevant agreed contract. The measure prescribes that the full process of privatisation will take three years and it is calculated that the state will save in total $ 73,000,000 (€ 80,000,000) annually. There is a good deal of interest from the private sector, attracted by both sector revenues which in 2000 totalled about $ 70,700,000 (€ 77,500,500) and, more especially, prospects for development. (Annalisa Rossi)