Gas, Orsini: ‘A return to supplies from Russia? There can be no ideology when it comes to energy’
On the subject of investment, the call is to carry on: ‘The hyper-depreciation scheme has worked’
Key points
Ceramics, paper, glass. These are the sectors on which, according to Confindustria president Emanuele Orsini, the ETS ‘is having a huge impact’. For this reason, he said on the sidelines of the Assolombarda general meeting in Milan, ‘we also need to safeguard basic industries’.
Russian gas
Orsini was asked about the possibility of Russian gas returning to the markets. “I won’t go into the issue of Russian gas or no Russian gas,” he replied, “it’s not within my remit. I believe that today we also need to tell the truth, which is that there can be no ideology when it comes to energy.’ He added: ‘Energy is a matter of competitiveness, as we can see in Europe: we’re going there as early as Thursday precisely to argue that the ETS must be suspended.’
At the meeting, he went on to say, ‘there will also be a great deal of discussion about artificial intelligence, which I believe is one of the new industries. We must be careful not to neglect the basic industries, which are vital for the country’.
Working towards national sovereignty
When asked about businesses’ priorities for the forthcoming budget, Orsini highlighted energy: ‘We still have a great deal of work to do on energy and on the country’s energy independence. I believe that is a priority. We need the country to be competitive with other nations, both within Europe and beyond.’
Towards the budget: continuing with investment
As regards investment, the call is to continue. “Hyper-depreciation has worked,” said Orsini. According to the president of Confindustria, the measure “has also succeeded in boosting GDP growth”. Applications submitted in the first few months alone exceed 7 billion in investments, compared with the government’s 2.5 billion.
