The virtuous model of the NRP and infrastructure development

Dear Director,

It is now only a short time before the closure of the NRP which, despite delays and some revisable choices, has represented a profound innovation for our country with clear targets, precise objectives, certain resources and reforms. The results achieved are therefore the fruit of a choral effort made together by public administrations, contracting authorities and companies. Effort that has made it possible to carry out many necessary works for the community, returning the construction sector to production levels not seen in at least 15 years, with positive effects on employment and on the country's economic and social resilience. A demonstration of the strength and capacity of our production system that we tell little about, but which is well represented by the many construction sites and the many workers engaged throughout the territory. Of course, after years of immobilism one could not think of wiping out with a magic wand all the difficulties accumulated during the years of crisis. Therefore, although many companies have grown and strengthened in terms of assets, technology and innovation, some are still struggling with fluctuating economic and financial balances. For those who do not live our reality, it is difficult to understand what and how many difficulties a company operating in the field of large-scale infrastructure in Italy has to face. In spite of the many job opportunities and the doubling of production capacity, our companies operate in a complex, cumbersome context, one that is not very profitable in relation to the capital invested and too exposed to risks external to the company's operational management. A context that the NRP has improved, attempting to resolve some of the criticalities that had frozen the public works market and dispelling the commonplace that it was the industrial fabric's inability to produce that delayed the works in the first place. The fact that in Italy there are no large foreign companies in the sector and that, on the contrary, our companies win tenders all over the world says a lot about the real reasons for our delays.

It is therefore a priority for everyone to try together to put an end to this asphyxiation of our system that makes it so difficult for companies to grow. The risk that with the end of the NRP some of these critical issues will return is real. But we cannot give in to the inevitable. We cannot go back to seeing slow construction sites, unfinished works and companies in crisis. We must then ask ourselves what is needed to maintain a healthy, strong and independent system. So far the only road we have seen taken has been that of the state entering the production system, as in these days the hypothesis of the acquisition of companies by FS is circulating. Are we sure that this is the right way to help companies grow? As Ance we have always fought for an open, competitive and healthy market. There is no doubt that such a solution would not go in this direction. Because it does not take into account a market and an industrial fabric that is constantly evolving and, above all, it does not consider the effects of distorted competition for those companies that have been able to invest and grow with foresight and with their own forces alone.

Instead, the Pnrr model must be continued. We emphasised in our Assembly how, over the years, Ferrovie's investment continuity and long-term planning have been a virtuous example that has taken Italy to the top of the European league for rail transport system. And in perspective, the group's investment plan represents a valid long-term planning on which companies must be able to rely. So how can we combine the need to guarantee the execution of the investments with the just expectations of the companies? For us, the choice of in-house would represent a surrender to an open and competitive market that offers everyone the same opportunities. We therefore need a shared approach, and in this sense we have welcomed an openness to confrontation on the part of the institutions and contracting stations. We are clear that the objective is a common one and concerns the construction of infrastructures that are crucial for the growth and modernisation of the country, which cannot afford setbacks. We are certain that with a joint effort we can meet the next goals with even greater momentum to the benefit of all.

President Ance