London, 06 May 2016 -- Moody's Public Sector Europe (Moody's) has today assigned
a first-time long-term issuer and debt ratings of Baa1 to
the Valle d'Aosta, Autonomous Region of (Valle d'Aosta).
The outlook is stable. Moody's has also assigned a short-term
P-2 issuer rating.
RATINGS RATIONALE
Today's assignment of the Baa1 ratings reflects Valle d'Aosta's
(1) long-established autonomous status that provides a high degree
of financial autonomy and budgetary flexibility; (2) overall solid
finances and low debt thanks to prudent management; (3) a small but
very wealthy economy by European standards.
Valle d'Aosta is rated one notch above the Italian Government (Baa2/Stable),
which is rare in Moody's sub-sovereign rated universe.
The region's autonomous status allows it to retain all fiscal revenues
generated and collected in its territory. Although this creates
a strong correlation with the local economy, it also gives the region
much greater budgetary flexibility than ordinary Italian regions.
This additional flexibility is partly offset by annual spending limits
agreed by the region and the Ministry of Finance as part of Italy's
national budgetary consolidation efforts. The management of Valle
d'Aosta has always maintained a positive dialogue with the Italian
government, contributing to national consolidation programme.
Indeed, Valle d'Aosta's fiscal consolidation efforts
sharply reduced the region's capex during 2011-15.
Moody's considers the region's budgetary consolidation programme
as manageable and we expect Valle d'Aosta to preserve its solid
finances and its traditional high standards of services.
In 2011-15 Valle d'Aosta achieved a solid average operating
margin of 14.3% of revenues which we expect to be overall
preserved in the next two years. The region has maintained a higher
gross operating balance than its peers, despite the national abolition
of import duty and a reduction of excise duties on beer and energy.
Thanks to an efficient spending review Valle d'Aosta succeeded to
match expenses to available revenues without recurring to its fiscal flexibility.
Valle d'Aosta`s financial flexibility is greater than national peers
as it could increase personal income tax, corporate tax, and
hydroelectricity license revenues. All regional services,
and in particular regional healthcare are in equilibrium thanks to the
substantial level of resources provided by the region and very prudent
spending policies.
Valle d'Aosta's net direct and indirect debt is relatively
stable and overall moderate compared to peers at 26.4% of
operating revenues on average between 2011-15. Since 2013,
the regional debts have been managed by Finaosta S.p.A.
(not-rated), an arms-length financial institution
fully owned by the region which operates as a holding company for the
region's subsidiaries. We expect Finaosta S.p.A.'s
debt to marginally increase in 2016 bringing thus the region's net
direct and indirect debt to 28.4% of latest reported operating
revenues. The total debt is still very manageable since the interest
payments as a percentage of operating revenues account for a low 1.4%.
Valle d'Aosta is a small region in northwestern Italy with GDP per-capita
equivalent to 144% of the national average, the second-highest
of any Italian region. Valle d'Aosta's GDP contracted
by 2.5% in 2007-14, well below the 9%
decline in national GDP over the same period. In 2015, the
region's GDP amounted to about EUR4.8 billion, most
of it generated by the service sector.
RATIONALE FOR THE STABLE OUTLOOK
The rating outlook is stable.
WHAT COULD CHANGE THE RATING -- UP
A strengthening of Italy's sovereign credit profile would likely lead
to an upgrade of Valle d'Aosta's rating. Structural
improvement of operating margins toward 30% of operating revenues,
combined reducing debt levels would be credit positive.
WHAT COULD CHANGE THE RATING -- DOWN
A downgrade of Italy's sovereign rating would lead to a downgrade of Valle
d'Aosta's rating. Although highly unlikely given the
constitutional framework, any alteration of the region's autonomous
status could also prompt a negative rating change.
The specific economic indicators, as required by EU regulation,
are not available for this entity. The following national economic
indicators are relevant to the sovereign rating, which was used
as an input to this credit rating action.
Sovereign Issuer: Italy, Government of
GDP per capita (PPP basis, US$): 35,708 (2015
Actual) (also known as Per Capita Income)
Real GDP growth (% change): 0.8% (2015 Actual)
(also known as GDP Growth)
Inflation Rate (CPI, % change Dec/Dec): 0.1%
(2015 Actual)
Gen. Gov. Financial Balance/GDP: -2.6%
(2015 Actual) (also known as Fiscal Balance)
Current Account Balance/GDP: 2.2% (2015 Actual) (also
known as External Balance)
External debt/GDP: [not available]
Level of economic development: Very High level of economic resilience
Default history: No default events (on bonds or loans) have been
recorded since 1983.
SUMMARY OF MINUTES FROM RATING COMMITTEE
On 22 April 2016, a rating committee was called to discuss the rating
of the Valle d'Aosta, Autonomous Region of. The main points
raised during the discussion were: the issuer's economic fundamentals,
including its economic strength; the issuer's institutional strength/
framework; the issuer's governance and/or management; the issuer's
fiscal or financial strength, including its debt profile.
The principal methodology used in these ratings was Regional and Local
Governments published in January 2013. Please see the Ratings Methodologies
page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology.
The weighting of all rating factors is described in the methodology used
in this credit rating action, if applicable.
REGULATORY DISCLOSURES
For ratings issued on a program, series or category/class of debt,
this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation
to each rating of a subsequently issued bond or note of the same series
or category/class of debt or pursuant to a program for which the ratings
are derived exclusively from existing ratings in accordance with Moody's
rating practices. For ratings issued on a support provider,
this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation
to the credit rating action on the support provider and in relation to
each particular credit rating action for securities that derive their
credit ratings from the support provider's credit rating.
For provisional ratings, this announcement provides certain regulatory
disclosures in relation to the provisional rating assigned, and
in relation to a definitive rating that may be assigned subsequent to
the final issuance of the debt, in each case where the transaction
structure and terms have not changed prior to the assignment of the definitive
rating in a manner that would have affected the rating. For further
information please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page for the
respective issuer on www.moodys.com.
For any affected securities or rated entities receiving direct credit
support from the primary entity(ies) of this credit rating action,
and whose ratings may change as a result of this credit rating action,
the associated regulatory disclosures will be those of the guarantor entity.
Exceptions to this approach exist for the following disclosures,
if applicable to jurisdiction: Ancillary Services, Disclosure
to rated entity, Disclosure from rated entity.
Regulatory disclosures contained in this press release apply to the credit
rating and, if applicable, the related rating outlook or rating
review.
Please see www.moodys.com for any updates on changes to
the lead rating analyst and to the Moody's legal entity that has issued
the rating.
Please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com
for additional regulatory disclosures for each credit rating.
Francesco Zambon
Analyst
Sub-Sovereign Group
Moody's Investors Service EMEA Ltd.
One Canada Square
Canary Wharf
London E14 5FA
United Kingdom
JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456
SUBSCRIBERS: 44 20 7772 5454
Mauro Crisafulli
Associate Managing Director
Sub-Sovereign Group
Telephone:+39-02-9148-1100
Releasing Office:
Moody's Investors Service EMEA Ltd.
One Canada Square
Canary Wharf
London E14 5FA
United Kingdom
JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456
SUBSCRIBERS: 44 20 7772 5454
MPSE assigns Baa1 a first-time issuer and debt ratings to the Autonomous region of Valle d'Aosta