Diritto Pubblico Comparato ed Europeo

Sommario

1. Definizione dell’istituto e caratteristiche generali. – 2. Caratteri del project financing in Svizzera. – 3. Il quadro normativo di riferimento. – 4. Tecniche di project financing: parti coinvolte, strutture finanziarie, modalità di partenariato pubblico-privato. – 5. I problemi di interpretazione ed applicazione dell’istituto in Svizzera: qualche conclusiva ipotesi di soluzione.

Abstract

This article analyzes the Swiss approach to project financing as an innovative tool for funding public infrastructure projects.As a well-established practice in international trade, project financing is very well known in Switzerland. Nevertheless, Swiss authorities tend to be restrictive and suspicious towards this method of procuring utilities, which implies a large private intervention in public works. It is argued that this attitude is due to, first, the strict Swiss mechanism of budgeting and financial control, and second, the lack of specific and uniform legislation on project financing at country level. As a consequence, in a public administrators’ view, the risk of losing control over public works exceeds potential benefits coming from this source of funding; therefore, as largely shown in the examples given, the Swiss government does not encourage the development and spread of project financing when infrastructural works are involved.