School building construction, mandatory deadline of October 29, 2027 to complete the works

The Ministry of Education and Merit has set October 29, 2027, as the mandatory deadline for the completion of works and final reporting of school building interventions funded by the residuals of the EIB loans. This is provided for by the ministerial decree of September 10, 2026, published in the Official Gazette of the Italian Republic, General Series no. 239 of October 14, 2026, with the official reference 26A05351. Failure to comply with the deadline shall result in the revocation of the granted funding.

The measure is signed by Minister Giuseppe Valditara and was registered by the Court of Auditors on September 29, 2026 (reg. no. 1914). It concerns the funding line of the so-called EIB Loans 2015-2016, activated by Article 10 of Decree-Law no. 104 of September 12, 2013, converted by Law no. 128 of November 8, 2013, which allows regions to enter into thirty-year loans with amortization costs fully borne by the State to renovate, secure, and make public school buildings more efficient.

EIB loan residuals and the new deadline

Decree no. 116 of June 16, 2025, adopted in agreement with the Ministry of Economy and Finance, had authorized regions to use the residual multi-year contributions for an amount equal to 463,920,912.37 euros, through the signing of new loans intended for school building interventions already authorized. These resources are recorded under chapter 8106, management plan 1, of the expenditure forecast of the Ministry of Education and Merit.

The new deadline is strictly related to the timing of the loan contracts:

• first disbursement made by Cassa depositi e prestiti S.p.a. on May 27, 2026;
• final disbursement request submitable by November 2, 2027, with a disbursement value date of the following November 25;
• deadline for the completion of works and final reporting strictly set for October 29, 2027.

Regions and local authorities facing the deadline

The survey launched by the competent directorate of the Ministry starting from October 2022 established that, against the previous deadline of October 15, 2021, numerous interventions had not been completed or financially concluded. The difficulties reported by the beneficiary entities are attributed to two factors: the pandemic situation and, subsequently, the international geopolitical context.

In implementation of Decree no. 116 of 2025, all regions have signed the new loan contracts with Cassa depositi e prestiti S.p.a., with the exception of Molise, whose failure to sign was due, according to the decree, solely to the entity’s assessments of opportunity. For the administrative management of the interventions, the EIB Loan Guidelines (2015-2016), already in force for previous contracts and published on the Ministry’s institutional website, continue to apply.

What changes for schools and students

The decree ends the season of extensions that had characterized this funding line: the deadline had already been moved from October 15, 2020, to October 15, 2021, by the decree of June 12, 2020, n. 34. Now the deadline is single and non-derogable, and any delay produces a direct financial effect on the defaulting region.

• recipients of the interventions: public buildings used for school education and higher artistic, musical, and dance education, housing and residences for university students;
• permitted types: renovation, improvement, safety upgrades, seismic retrofitting, energy efficiency, construction of new buildings and school gyms;
• consequence of delay: revocation of the granted funding.

For school communities, the 2027 deadline means that construction sites still open must close within just over a year, with the final reporting to be submitted by the same date. Compliance with the deadline affects not only the accounting closure of the interventions, but also the possibility of delivering safer and more efficient buildings to students, without the resources already allocated becoming available for other uses.

Source: Official Gazette of the Italian Republic, General Series n. 239 of October 14, 2026 — Decree of the Ministry of Education and Merit September 10, 2026, “Identification of the deadline for the completion of works and final reporting of school building interventions authorized by decree June 12, 2025, prot. 116 of June 16, 2025”, reference 26A05351.