Calls for innovation, political stability and bureaucratic simplification

“Italy should be more competitive. Without this, growth is unimaginable “.It is the phrase with which Bernhard Scholz, President of the Compagnia delle Opere, introduces the 34th Meeting for Friendship among Peoples in the meeting room Blacks scheduled this morning at 11.15am entitled ‘Italy and international competition’ organized unioncamere. Speakers Giovanni Castellucci, CEO of Autostrade per Italy, Roberto De Santis, President CONAI (National Consortium collection and recycling raw materials), Giuseppe Giordo, CEO of Alenia Aermacchi, Giuseppe Recchi, President and Chairman of the Committee Eni foreign investors Confindustria, Flavio Valeri , CEO of Deutsche Bank Group in Italy and, last but not least, Flavio Zanon, Minister of Economic Development.
Speakers agreed broadly with regard to the urgent strategies for the country to regain its competitive positions in Europe and worldwide. The recipe? Need for technological and organizational innovation, political stability and bureaucratic simplification.
Scholz asked if the integration of infrastructure in Italy is a viable and Castellucci says, “The coordination of infrastructure is the main point of our strategy and activities. Unlike the costs of non-integration slow growth for a long period. As a group – he adds – we attract foreign capital necessary to continue to invest in Italy, to the extent of 90 percent of our budgets “.
At the urging of President CdO De Santis indicates the environmental sustainability as a strategic factor for the competitiveness of the country, with an economic and employment relapse of great importance: “The Conai chain – are his words – involves about ten thousand companies engaged in collection sorting, sorting, recycling and production of new artifacts with a turnover of 9.5 billion Euros in 2012”.
“We will never be competitive as regard to the costs compared to emerging countries; we have to focus on technology, reliability, price and quality “. This is the challenge that Giuseppe Giordo confronts to in Alenia Aermacchi, a company with one hundred percent of the labor force in Italy and 90 per cent lies turnover abroad. “In Italy there is a lot of goodwill, but the country system lacks of organization. Speaking of competitiveness and development means talking about planning and processes. ”
Italy on the one hand, is attractive to foreign investors, but when they arrive, they are accused of doing ‘shopping’. Scholz’s provocation is collected by Giuseppe Recchi which invites us to go beyond the lament: “In comparison with other emerging countries Italy offers good geographical conditions, culture, infrastructure. Pay, however, the uncertainty of the rules and cumbersome bureaucracy that alienate foreign investors “.
There is also a problem of access to credit for businesses, with heavy responsibilities of the banks. “Banks are living on credit – Flavio Valeri admits – but at this time are facing the increased suffering for loans become uncollectable “. The result, unfortunately is “the growth of the cost of money: our companies pay 150-200 business point more than the competitors in other countries.”
The Minister Zanonato long-time patron of the Meeting, concludes: “The numbers of Europe – said the former mayor of Padua – are 7, 25 and 50. 7 represents the population compared to the world total, 25 the percentage of produced GDP, 50 percent is the social spending relative to this population. It is clear that our continent offers living conditions unimaginable to many other countries. “It is difficult to face the competition with emerging countries’ growing out lies very little, by not having to have her home from not being able to keep the family to be able to keep. We need a policy lies global growth “.
“Without growth – is the belief of the minister – Italy is not going anywhere. Only with the development you can maintain great achievements and help others to join them “.The objective of the Government, concluded Zanonato, is to reduce the tax burden on labor the cost of energy. “We need to support and accompany our companies – is his exhortation – to be found all over the world. Above all, we need a cultural change that allows us to see Italy as a country full of opportunities. ”
(C.C.)