Upland Authorities

Upland Authorities are entities composed of associations of small neighbouring mountain Municipalities with global guidance functions to meet general interests of the population living in mountain areas.  

Upland Authorities at state level are governed by:

• Law no. 97 of 31 January 1994, legal frame work that sets up also the Fund for Mountains and transfer to Regions the duty to establish a Regional Fund and the ruling of distribution criteria among Upland Authorities;
• Articles no. 27 and no. 28 of the Legislative Decree no. 267 of 18 August 2000 “Consolidated Text of Laws about Local Government"
• Legislative Decree no. 504 of 30 December 1992 that governs fiscal transfers and, by art. 41 distributes the Ordinary Fund for Investments to Regions that will have to provide for a following division among Upland Authorities, based on population living in the mountain areas and on the surface of lands classified as Mountain lands.

Regione Campania by Regional Law no. 6 of 15 April 1998 set up twenty-seven Upland Authorities gathering in total 364 Municipalities with a mountain population of 670,501 units.  

The twenty-seven Upland Authorities are divided as follows:

• Province of Naples: 2 Upland Authorities gathering 18 Municipalities,
• Province of Caserta: 3 Upland Authorities gathering 42 Municipalities,
• Province of Benevento: 4 Upland Authorities gathering 58 Municipalities,
• Province of Avellino: 6 Upland Authorities gathering 105 Municipalities,
• Province of Salerno: 12 Upland Authorities gathering 141 Municipalities.

Moreover, this Authority by Regional Law no. 17 of 4 November 1998 set up the Regional Fund and defined the distribution criteria of the National Fund and the Regional Fund for Mountains,  providing for the yearly payment based on the following criteria:

A fixed share to each Upland Authority established by the Regional Executive Board;

• Residual 30% in proportion to the resident population;
• Residual 70% in proportion to the area;
• A share for representative organizations of Upland Authorities as participation in the expenses for support and entertainment activities for Member Bodies.