The Senate gives the green light to the former Ilva decree. Financing and Cig: here are the measures for companies in crisis

The decree-law approved in the Senate introduces a series of measures aimed at ensuring production continuity, industrial revitalisation, and employment support, in particular related to the former Ilva steel plant. The law provides for a state loan of up to EUR 200 million for 2025 for Ilva in extraordinary administration, for urgent work on plants and to ensure their safety. The loan, at market rates and with a maximum duration of five years, can also be transferred to Acciaierie d'Italia. It will have to be repaid within 120 days of the sale of the plants or, at most, within five years, with priority over other debts.

It provides for the construction of pre-pipeline plants: it removes references to the NRP and hydrogen, as the resources now come from the Development and Cohesion Fund. It also provides that the company in charge can use a private partner chosen by tender. In addition, bureaucratic simplifications are introduced for investments exceeding 50 million euro in former Ilva or related areas. The investor will have to present a plan to the Ministry of Enterprise, which will be able to appoint an extraordinary commissioner to coordinate the intervention. It also allows regions and autonomous provinces to use residual funds to support strategic enterprises in 2024, as was the case in 2023. The law allocates 20 million for an additional extraordinary wage supplement (maximum six months that cannot be extended) for companies in the process of being closed down with concrete possibilities of sale and re-absorption of employment, and increases the expenditure ceiling for income support for workers employed by companies seized or confiscated and in judicial administration, for the years 2025 and 2026.

The rule regulates the assignment of contracts for the purchase of business premises in the event of contractual problems, allowing the entry of a new party, including a public party. The ministerial authorisation and the cap on the transfer amount serve to protect the public interest.

For 2025, there is an exemption from the payment of additional contributions linked to the extraordinary redundancy fund for companies in complex crises, with some conditions (exclusion if collective redundancies are triggered), and it extends for 2025 (up to 12 weeks) the possibility of redundancy funds for small enterprises (up to 15 employees) in the fashion sectors. It also changes procedures by allowing the employer to request payment to workers directly from INPS. The measure will be financed by reducing the Social Fund for Employment and Training by EUR 9.3 million. An additional period of Cigs is allowed until 2027 for large groups (with at least 1,000 employees) that have signed a framework agreement to safeguard jobs and reindustrialisation. Reductions in working hours of up to 100 per cent will also be possible, with spending limits set for each year from 2025 to 2027.