“It’s a black hole for this region and its businesses. The only alternative to these 2 thousand days of closure is the doubling of the tunnel, which can be built in the next 5-6 years, leaving the current infrastructure open which will then be modernized later”. From the words of the president of Confindustria Valle d’Aosta, Francesco Turcato, it is clear how the Mont Blanc tunnel has occupied a front row seat at the regional assembly of industrialists. In fact, starting next September, the tunnel will be closed for maintenance work for about three months a year for the next 18 years.
The future of the tunnel
«We will not stand still to suffer this injustice, the it government
aliano is aware of this problem, and is taking action with the French government. We feel the support of Confindustria and a large part of the Aosta Valley population, who encourage us to go ahead with this commitment, which we feel is decisive» said Turcato again, speaking to the approximately 230 entrepreneurs from the stage set up inside the Cogne Acciai Speciali in Aosta for the assembly entitled – “Valle d’Aosta is our future: let’s think about it in the present” – which was attended by the Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani, the President of Confindustria Carlo Bonomi, the Vice Presidents Alberto Marenghi (with delegation to the Organisation, Development and Marketing) and Giovanni Baroni (President of Piccola Industria of Confindustria), the President of the Region, Renzo Testolin, and the Vice President Luigi Giovanni Bertschy, and the Mayor of Aosta Gianni Nuti.
Business forecasts
The strategic and vital importance of the Mont Blanc tunnel for the economy of the Aosta Valley and of the Northwest also emerges from the business sentiment photographed by the economic survey for the third quarter of the year: optimism is growing as regards employment, orders, production, it remains stable for investments and instead decreases for exports, partly due to the uncertainties related to the tunnel and partly due to the health of the French and German economies.
The synergy with Piedmont and Liguria
The alliance with Confindustria Liguria and Piedmont, three regions worth about 200 billion GDP and which, as a Confindustria system, represent 7,500 companies and almost 350,000 direct employees, also had an influence to favor the good health of the local economy. «We have already opened a shared office in Brussels, in order to forge new and more solid collaborations with those who do not speak our language, but with whom we share the language of business, i.e. our French and Swiss entrepreneur colleagues» explained Turcato again, who he also underlined how, in terms of high-level scholastic training and professional updating, «a courageous turning point represented by the creation of an ITS is needed. We have been asking the Region for it for five years and I renew our commitment to actively support the initiative ».