By the Prime Minister's Decree (DPCM) of 10 August 2023, issued jointly with the Minister of Labour and Social Policies, the Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy, and the Minister of Economy and Finance, funds from the Extraordinary Fund for Publishing, amounting to EUR 140 million for 2023, were distributed. In particular, Article 4(1) of the aforementioned Prime Minister's Decree provided, as a measure aimed at favouring the hiring of young journalists and professionals under the age of 36 on open-ended contracts, a lump-sum contribution in favour of employers belonging to businesses publishing newspapers and periodicals, including newly established ones, press agencies and local and national television and radio broadcasters, not owned, in whole or in part, by the State, within the limit of EUR 7.5 million, which constitutes an expenditure ceiling, in compliance with the regulation in force concerning the application of de minimis aid. 

A subsequent decree of the Head of the Department for Information and Publishing of 28 November 2023 then defined, in Article 3, the modalities for the use of this aid. 

The grant is available to employers belonging to newspaper and periodical publishing businesses (including newly established ones), news agencies, and local and national television and radio broadcasters, provided they have no state participation:

•  Eligible entities must have their main and/or primary ATECO classification code recorded in the Business Register as follows:
  • For newspaper publishing businesses: 58.13 (newspaper publishing)
  • for magazine publishing businesses: 58.14 (publishing of magazines and periodicals);
  • for news agencies: 63.91 (activities of news agencies);
  •  for radio stations: 60.10 (radio broadcasting);
  • for television broadcasters: 60.20 (programming and television broadcasting activities);

• with registration in the Register of Communication Operators (ROC), maintained by the Communications Guarantee Authority.
• not subject to voluntary, compulsory administrative or judicial liquidation procedures

Pursuant to Article 4(1) of the D.P.C.M. 10 August 2023, the grant is given to the extent of EUR 10,000 for each recruitment of young journalists and professionals under the age of 36 years who have a duly certified professional qualification in the field of editorial digitisation, information and computerised documents, communication and IT security, online service and digital transformation, including in the media field.

The grant contributes to taxable income and, therefore, is subject to withholding.

Persons wishing to access the grant for the year 2022 may submit an application to the Department from 10 a.m. on 23 April to 5 p.m. on 23 May 2024. Each applicant business may submit only one application relating to all hirings executed by 31 December 2023.

The application must be digitally signed by the legal representative of the business, exclusively with a CAdES signature. In case of an error, it will be possible, throughout the period during which applications are open, to submit a new application that replaces the previous one.

The procedures for application and the documentation required to submit an application for access to the benefit are governed by the aforementioned Decree of the Head of the Department for Information and Publishing dated 28 November 2023.

For further details on the measure, please consult the dedicated page of the Department for Information and Publishing website.

Download the user manual (updated 18/04/2024) useful for filling in the application. 

For technical assistance in accessing the web portal or in filling in the application, please contact the Help Desk at 06 64892717 from Monday to Friday from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm. Any questions or requests for clarification may be sent exclusively by ordinary email to the following dedicated email address
fondo.straordinario@governo.it