“The pandemic has shown that the role of the state is often inevitable, but only for the deserving.” This is said by Giancarlo Giorgetti, Minister of Economic Development (Mise) of the Draghi government, speaking on the fourth and last day of the Trento Festival of Economics. Many issues were touched upon, starting with the blocking of layoffs, considered “one-off”, passing from the Ex Ilva, on which the Mise eagerly awaits the pronouncement of the Council of State, and Alitalia, which will look for an international travel companion to open up to new markets. One point remains fixed, according to Giorgetti: “State aid must be given only to those who can stay on the market”.
The novelty is that, in the world of work, there is no news for the number one of the department of Via Veneto. In fact, Giorgetti’s line on the unblocking of layoffs does not change. “The blockade was an exceptional measure in an extraordinary situation such as the one imposed by the pandemic, and it must remain so. Jobs are not created by decree law, but we need to think about the transition of workers, of companies, and this can be done sector by sector »said Giorgetti. An example, he pointed out, is that of textiles, which continue to struggle. What is certain, he recalled, is that the crisis tables are numerous, and the priority is to understand what are the needs of both actors, the State and businesses. «We must try to return to industrial policy, but not with the shareholder state, but with the state regulating the market. The National Recovery and Resilience Plan lays the foundations for doing business in Italy for both Italian and foreign entrepreneurs, “said Giorgetti. Simplification of rules and a favorable environment for entrepreneurship, he stressed, will be the catalysts for international investment in the coming years.
And precisely on the market front, from Mise comes a sharp stop to the vicious circle of rain subsidies to companies only on the basis of political interest. The priority is the promotion of public interventions only after careful verification. And it is precisely in this perspective that the support of the Ex Ilva plants, privatized in 1995 and now again within the state, falls within the scope of this. “I believe that the case of Taranto is the synthesis of questions that have been open for years. Do you need steel in Taranto? Yes, first of all because we understood that steel is strategic for the country and the Italian mechanical industry, the second in Europe. It is important to keep steel close to the end users »says Giorgetti. Who recalled that “state” steel is crucial as “it is clear that no private individual will be found anywhere in the world who makes investments in Taranto to make the plant eco-sustainable, especially due to the pending confiscations under the side of administrative justice “. And on the long-term sustainability, Giorgetti reassured about the solutions. «At Mise we are clear about what a realistic and pragmatic future can be, especially considering the needs of the population. Once justice has run its course, I think by mid-June, we will sit down with Mittal, ”he said. There was no lack of a step on the so-called “green” steel front, in which Giorgetti called for a global competition that is fair and without inequality. “If only Italy produces it, where is the competition?” Giorgetti reiterated, who did not exclude new subsidies for the sector, always on condition that the global picture goes in that direction. In other words, the Mise target is not to find yourself alone on the market with a product with high costs and low demand.
On the Alitalia side, on the other hand, the uncertainties brought by the pandemic on airlines continue to worry the government, especially in the future. «On the air transport market, private individuals have shown that they have failed, and now Alitalia will be entirely public-owned, an inevitable solution. The objective remains that of economy in the process of connecting the country, but be careful: competition will not be achieved with low-cost ones »explained Giorgetti. And with this in mind, he said, it will be crucial to find an international partner to compete globally. When? In the next months.