Orsini: We need a single ZES for the whole country

“The South must continue to grow, because the whole of Italy needs to move at the same pace. But what is needed now is a ZES for the whole country: we need to untangle the bureaucratic knot, with a Services Conference that brings all the authorities round the same table and has the power to get investments off the ground”. This was stated by Emanuele Orsini in an interview with the daily newspaper La Stampa. “It is a project that I not only support, but wholeheartedly endorse,” emphasises the president of Confindustria. “ ‘It is right that this simplification measure should apply across the whole country, whilst paying particular attention to the South.’

According to the president of Confindustria, ‘we need national coordination’. ‘Over the years, many powers have rightly been devolved to the regions, but when it comes to infrastructure, logistics, energy and industrial policy, we need an overarching vision,’ he explains. We must support individual regional governors or mayors who find themselves managing such complex issues, particularly given the burden of regulations and bureaucracy involved. Take Piedmont and Aosta Valley: the link with France runs via Mont Blanc, which is currently closed. If we do not think in terms of the major European corridors and comprehensive transport planning, we will lose our competitiveness.” “One” is the rule for ZES that Orsini would extend to the rest of the country: ‘Fixed deadlines’. “From the moment I submit a request, I need to know how long it will take to receive a reply,” continues Orsini. “The solution is a Services Conference convened as soon as possible, with tacit approval granted after a defined number of days – a maximum of two months. We’re not asking for privileges, but for certainty for everyone.”