Meloni: ‘Artisans are living cultural heritage; the reform is on the agenda of the Council of Ministers today’

Just a few hours before the Council of Ministers meeting at which will approve the 2027 Budget Bill, the last of this parliamentary term, Giorgia Meloni addressed the Confartigianato assembly. Thanking the president of Confartigianato, Marco Granelli, and all the artisans “for the strength, prestige and stability you have built for this nation”, the Prime Minister announced that the amendment to the framework law on craftsmanship will also be tabled at the Council of Ministers: ‘A business that starts out as an artisan enterprise and has remained so for seven years will be able to retain its status even if the number of employees increases. Growing does not mean having to lose one’s identity.’

Amidst applause from the audience, Meloni emphasised that ‘this is a reform of which we are proud and another step in the commitment that this Government has been pursuing since the start of the parliamentary term to help all businesses in this country, without exception, to become stronger and create new jobs, and we have not stopped there’. Under the new regulations, therefore, the productive identity ‘recognised and protected by Article 45 of the Constitution’ will not be lost if the business grows: ‘Scale and artisanal character can and must coexist perfectly’.

The Prime Minister began her speech by recalling ‘the complicated times we are living through: an era in which we are being led to believe that the real, the tangible and the authentic have almost no reason to exist any more’. ‘You, however,’ says the Prime Minister, ‘are telling the world that there is an antidote to all this, that substance and authenticity still have meaning in this day and age: let them come to terms with it; they will continue to have meaning for a long time to come.’ ‘You are living cultural treasures; without craftsmanship, “Made in Italy” would not exist,’ the Prime Minister emphasised. ‘And if our nation continues to break records, such as exports reaching 644 billion, the credit is largely due to your work: your greatest strength is quality, attention to detail, and the beauty of work carried out to the highest standards.’

But quality must be upheld, adds Meloni, and ‘it demands respect: first and foremost, respect for the rules’. That is why, she says, action has been taken against the unfair competition posed by those who passed themselves off as artisans without actually being so. “Individuals who operated in the shadows, flouted the rules and evaded tax, ultimately tarnishing the reputation of an entire profession.” The Prime Minister then highlights the first annual law on small and medium-sized enterprises, which has been awaited for a full 15 years: “We have established that the terms ‘artisan’ and ‘artisanal’ can and must only be used by those who are duly registered in the register of artisan enterprises.”

Among the government measures close to the hearts of her audience, Meloni cites the regulations targeting ‘open-and-close’ businesses, noting that 30,000 businesses have been shut down ‘because the State wants to be an ally of those who work honestly’, the revival of Artigiancassa and the 50 million fund at the Ministry of Economic Development (MIMIT) to finance investment programmes and eligible business development projects.