Ilva, Jindal sends binding proposal to the government. Industrial plan still absent

Jindal sent on Friday 20 March to the Ilva commissioners and the Meloni government a document that the Indian's lawyers called a 'binding proposal'. According to the Sole-24 Ore newspaper, the document is an extension of last week's letter with which - after having abandoned the tender for the Italian steel plant six months ago in the mistaken belief that they would find open doors in Germany to take over Thyssen Krupp - the Indians, after having precisely found major difficulties with Berlin, expressed their interest again with Rome.

The document received by the Meloni government, which is doing all it can to keep alive the narrative of the double bid for Ilva between Jindal's Indians and the Americans of Flacks, contains some things and does not contain others. The things that are there: a long series of conditions to buy the former Ilva. The thing that is not there: the detailed business plan.

On Monday 23 March - the day on which the commissioners had set the deadline for the presentation of precisely a 'binding proposal' - Jindal's top management and the commissioners should meet in Rome. On that occasion, it will be understood whether or not Jindal intends to fill with content - binding above all for itself - its interest in what remains of Europe's leading steel plant: in financial and patrimonial, techno-industrial and employment terms.

And it will be understood whether the government, so far unshakable in the Meloni knot that absolutely does not want a state company to enter the capital in order not to repeat the disastrous marriage with Arcelor Mittal from a position of weakness, will give in to the request - formalised by Jindal since last week's letter of expression of interest - to have a public company as a minority partner, identified by the Indians in the first instance in Invitalia.