Torino — “You will see that in Orsini’s team there will be a good number of Gozzi supporters”. Joke that spread from mouth to mouth in the corridors of the Confindustria offices before Easter. Joke that has now turned into reality. The excluded Antonio Gozzi, president of Federacciai and Dufercohas decided to give his support in the race to win the number one seat in Viale dell’Astronomia to the Emilian Emanuele Orsini, born in 1973, active in the wood sector with his Sistem Costruzioni and in the food sector with Tino Prosciutti. It has already been renamed as the “Covenant of the Dove”.
The president of Duferco and Federacciai, Antonio Gozzi (ansa)
The agreement would put the other candidate in the running in difficulty on the eve of the General Council vote, set for April 4th, Edoardo Garrone: born in 1961, president of Erg, the renewable energy giant, and number one at Sole24Ore. The designated president will be decided on Thursday and will present his team at the April 18 meeting of the Council, while on May 23, in the private meeting, he will be formally elected successor of Carlo Bonomi. It has never happened in the history of Confindustria that an assembly does not ratify a choice made by the Council.
Confindustria on the wire between Garrone and Orsini ten votes apart Diego Longhin 28 March 2024
From Gozzi’s entourage they underline that it is a voting orientation. Orsini, who is also Bonomi’s deputy with responsibility for finance, credit and taxation, would have responded to the requests of the steel representative in Italy. “The next presidency needs to put manufacturing at the centre,” Gozzi told his supporters a few days ago after deciding not to appeal an exclusion that he considered unfair. Another fundamental issue: Europe.
The Ligurian entrepreneur criticized the choices made in Brussels on steel, and not only. «It is essential that the next president of Confindustria has strong oversight over European policies with a clear commitment to modify the points of the green deal which damage Italian business“, explained the president of Duferco. This is the point of contact that allowed us to reach the agreement.
Confindustria, the vote of the Venetians relaunches the Garrone-Orsini head-to-head by Diego Longhin, Filippo Santelli 27 March 2024
Agreement which provides for a number of places at Gozzi quota in the event of Orsini’s victory. The deputy with responsibility for Europe could be the man from Brescia Giuseppe Pasini, president of Feralpi, a man close to Gozzi with whom, in recent years, he has often alternated at the helm of Federacciai. In addition to Pasini, Gozzi should express two other deputies who will arrive from Brescia, Bergamo and Southern Italy, where the past president Antonio D’Amato. Orsini would keep four deputies for himself, one should be Vincenzo Marinesepresident of Confindustria Venezia.
Another figure would be that of Stefan Pan, which has already had the delegation to Europe since 2020. A task that would have been promised by Orsini, but which would now be given to a representative of Gozzi. The Emilian would leave only one place for the minority. Orsini’s staff, however, downplays it. There would be no agreements, only free votes: it is clear that Gozzi’s supporters will choose Orsini on Thursday and if someone, like Pasini, joins the team, it will not depend on agreements.
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Free votes that the other Ligurian, Garrone, expects to be able to take, winning the presidency. His supporters give him the advantage, but the game is open. The strong bloc of the North-West industry is with Garrone. It is no coincidence that the race for the owner of Erg was born among the big names in Northern industry, from Marcegaglia to Bracco. The rest, especially the North-East and what remains of Lombardy outside Assolombarda, represents more the small and medium-sized enterprises best interpreted by Orsini.
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Gozzi’s bloc will not move in a granitic way: there will be no shortage of defections among the territorial associations and absences are announced among the 187 voters in the Confindustria Council. There are the territorial ones, such as Brescia and Bergamo, divided internally, while Cremona supports Garrone. Tensions in Veneto, particularly in Vicenza, while Federchimica and Farmindustria could abstain. In the secrecy of the ballot box on Thursday the councilors will decide according to their conscience, not just following team orders.