After having outlined the reasons to support public action for self-sufficiency policies, this paper deals with some of the main issues surrounding the debate on the activation of a public, universal self-sufficiency fund in Italy. Firstly, a concise presentation of the reasons to prefer the setting up of a specific fund to the mere reinvigoration of existent policies is given. Secondly, the importance of intergenerational equity and financial sustainability in the implementation of such a fund are high-lighted. Thirdly, some elements of the debate on the opportunity to activate a single national fund and/or numerous regional funds are illustrated. Lastly, some aspects of the possible strategies for the activation of the fund and its financing are briefly discussed.only subscribers can see the full article