Orsini: Italy and the EU need an extraordinary Industrial Plan to boost investment

Faced with "the bitter truth" that "today both Europe and our country face a real risk of deindustrialisation, aggravated by the war on duties, but fuelled by an anti-industrial prejudice", "Confindustria proposes an extraordinary Industrial Plan to relaunch the European and national economy". Thus Emanuele Orsini, president of Confindustria, in his report to the 2025 national assembly.

As far as the European dimension is concerned, the plan 'must be based on two levers: the first is investment to support the innovative capacity of industry, to be realised with the contribution of public and private resources. To activate them, we need a 'New Generation EU for industry' and a truly single and integrated capital market; the second is rules to put competitiveness back at the centre, cutting red tape and bringing together the three dimensions of sustainability (economic, social and environmental),' Orsini explained.

On the national front, Orsini called for 'a change of gear' on the issue of the competitiveness of industry, which is 'held back by too many obstacles'. "Too often in Italy the successes of companies are mistaken as the effect of great development strategies that, instead, have not been there. Our country and our entrepreneurial realities have what it takes to succeed. But we need to change perspective. Or rather, overturn it,' Orsini continued, emphasising that 'we must all work together - industry and services, institutions and parties, majority and opposition, social forces and trade unions - on a real extraordinary Industrial Plan for Italy.

According to Orsini, 'European policies need a radical change of approach: the choices of recent years are presenting a very heavy bill. They have weakened our industrial competitiveness, put hundreds of thousands of jobs at risk and, consequently, the entire welfare and social cohesion system: the heart of the European model since the Second World War. Action must be taken now to change this course'. If this does not happen, "we will have proved right those who do not want a Europe that is neither more united nor stronger. It is we who want it, united and strong. And all those who are fighting with us to correct the mistakes made,' the industrialists' number one added. Turning to the president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, who was present in the room, Orsini asked for 'help in reiterating these points strongly', as Metsola 'shares most of what I am about to say'.

  "We bet on Industry 4.0, 6.0, let's call it what we want - as long as it is enhanced; this measure is indispensable for us. And we are counting on development contracts, instruments in which companies have already gained experience and achieved concrete results,' the president of Confindustria asked at the annual assembly of industrialists. 'However,' he added, 'even here, we need simpler procedures, certain rules and faster timeframes. At a complicated time like this we need to convince our entrepreneurs to invest'.