milan italy nervous investors retreat catalonia afraid wealthy region may secede spain another european region whose politicians campaign independence look attract talk autonomy secession italian region lombardy country industrial engine home financial capital milan hold referendum sunday autonomy outcome once-proudly secessionist leader hop lure investment could come expense catalonia rival lombardy race attract employers flee another painful european divorce brexit two regions compete host europe drug regulator must leave uk find new home inside european union catalonia say lombardy president roberto maroni overlook milan glass-walled office 36th floor region recently build headquarter remain inside italian nation autonomy catalonia want become 29th state european union speak catalonia competitor respect say deliberately court firm cheer firm flee catalonia see happen request yet catalan firm maroni lead member lega nord begin 1990s campaign independent state padania stretch across italy north roughly follow po river around lombardy west venice east lega nord long actively campaign secession rule party lombardy veneto region around venice hold referendums great autonomy include good financial deal central government yes vote would bind rome maroni say would give strong mandate negotiate good deal obvious negotiate power money manage bring home say rome say referendum unnecessary though permit italy constitution allow regions open talk autonomy italy rule democratic party also neutral issue though least one party mayors lombardy call yes vote like catalonia lombardy make fifth national economy complain center drain finance unlike catalonia hundreds firm shift headquarter regions spain since oct. independence referendum lombardy boss take soft line use autonomy push investment pitch maroni say lombardy pay 54 billion euros 64 billion tax rome year receive center want reduce difference half maroni say would spend money research development nurture family-owned businesses start-ups tax holiday attract big international firm example say could tell big multinationals look invest europe know come milan two three years make pay tax rome though position allow economically powerful region windfall without risk economic collapse already-poor south experts say zero-sum game say professor luca ricolfi expert federalism university turin gian claudio bressa junior minister regional affairs rome say matter hand back money regions must show take public service national government good job provide fund allocate newly autonomous region help fund additional service italy unitary state base mutual fiscal solidarity among regions bressa say order get money central state lombardy demonstrate service offer good compare provide state 27 billion euros use fund something different service italy could survive course even large yes vote sunday referendums experts expect quick dramatic change lombardy would consider victory manage pick responsibilities around 1-2 billion euros additional fund say university turin ricolfi politically though could inflame tensions rich north poor south weaken seam nation collection small regional state speak variety dialects unification 19th century open issue northern regions pay expect backlash southern italy say giovanni orsina history professor rome luiss-guido carli university 0.8504 euros 'we 're catalonia italy 's separatists tread softly toward autonomy