The University of Milano and the Lombardy Regional Command of the Guardia di Finanza together to protect the Right to Education

The University of Milano and the Lombardy Regional Command of the Guardia di Finanza have stipulated, on 06 November 2024, at the University, a memorandum of understanding protection of the right to educationThis agreement is part of the initiatives aimed at pursuing objectives of social equity, protection of the weakest social groups who in order to exercise the right to study have actual need for public resources made available by the Region, the State and the European Union. Representing the University, the Rector, Prof.ssa Marina Brambilla; for the Guardia di Finanza the memorandum was signed by the Regional Commander, Gen. D. Giuseppe Arbore.

With this agreement, the two bodies define the modalities of collaboration, within the scope of their respective institutional purposes, in order to strengthen the system of prevention and contrast of conduct detrimental to public economic and financial interests connected to support and/or incentive measures, for which the granting process has already been completed, under the jurisdiction of the University, with particular reference to scholarships and accommodation for university students.

In detail, the University undertakes, for the next three years, to provide the Guardia di Finanza, as a general economic and financial police force, specialized in the protection of national and EU public spending, qualified information inputs of which it has become aware by virtue of the functions performed, selected on the basis of preliminary investigations and useful for the prevention and repression of irregularities, frauds and abuses of an economic-financial nature. The Departments of the Corps, being able to have access to timely data and information, thanks to the implementation of an effective information exchange, will be able to intervene promptly by verifying the veracity of the documentation produced to obtain public benefits and ensuring that the benefits and subsidies are allocated to students who are actually entitled to them.

As pointed out by the General Arbore, “countering frauds that undermine equal access to public benefits is the objective of the protocol that is being signed today, an agreement that is part of a broader context of prevention of economic and financial abuses that can damage the effectiveness of measures to support the right to education”.

La Rector Brambilla he highlighted that "precisely because of the importance that policies in favor of the right to education and the funds dedicated to them have, it is essential that institutions collaborate so that resources are used correctly, effectively and in a manner consistent with the high public value objective for which they are allocated".