The Senate hall has resumed the discussion on the so-called ex Ilva decree, which concerns establishments of national strategic interest such as the Taranto plant. The provision is being examined by the Senate in first reading and must be converted into law by 6 March.
Zanettin (Fi): strategic activity, justified penal shield
“With the Ilva decree we want to guarantee the survival of the industrial giant of the Italian steel industry and employment, combining it with the protection of the environment and the health of the citizens of Taranto. The activity of the industrial site is strategic for our country. And this may justify the use of exceptional rules, such as those provided for by the so-called penal shield, which derogate from the general principles of the legal system and, as such, cannot be extended to other cases. It is clear that there are no irresponsible people in the government. in this case to protect a prevailing interest, allowing Ilva’s administrators to operate serenely in compliance with the law”. This was stated by the senator of Forza Italia, Pierantonio Zanettin, speaking in the Chamber in the general discussion on the ex Ilva decree. “The hope, of course, is that this decree can also contribute, in an effective and definitive way, to that environmental rehabilitation of the Taranto production site which has been awaited for too many years”, he concluded.
Boccia (Pd): dl written to stall, the crux is the strategy
“There is no work if there is no health, Ilva’s history shows that when the right to health is trampled on, the right to work is also compromised. The issue therefore remains that of industrial strategy and what are the issues to be addressed Today we are at a crossroads because many of the commitments made by the company have not been respected, starting with employment ones”. This was stated by the senator of the Democratic Party, Francesco Boccia speaking in the courtroom on the ex Ilva decree. “The program agreement – he added – was used to rewrite an industrial plan that took into account the city of Taranto, a city that has invested in green steel, but also provided for the transformation to take place according to an established path with an impact on health and employment. It was necessary to continue on this path with determination and instead this measure was written to buy time without dealing with the painful history of the city and the factory”. So he concluded: “May the majority have the sensitivity to open a useful discussion on the amendments presented by the oppositions that address these fundamental and strategic issues for a correct conversion”.
Nocco (Fdi): the penal shield balances production continuity
“This provision will not put an end to the age-old question of the former Ilva of Taranto. However, it represents a first commitment in this sense by the government. The immediate objective is to guarantee the stability of the employed in order not to block production. Moreover, the reconversion of a “The company is only possible if the company is still standing. This is why I reply to those who accuse the executive of having injected yet another fund to save ArcelorMittal, which unfortunately there are debts. And it was also necessary to introduce immunity criminal law, in order to guarantee a balance between the needs of production continuity and the protection of health and the environment. A balance that takes place in the sense indicated by the Constitution and by the judge of the laws: this is how we will pursue the objective of relaunching the heavy industry and the quality of Made in Italy steel recognized abroad, employment stability and, last but not least, the serenity that Taranto has been waiting for for too long”. The senator of the Brothers of Italy, Vita Maria Nocco, declared it in the courtroom when speaking on the ex Ilva decree.
Floridia (Avs): pollution continues with the decree
“In the ex Ilva decree, behind the term ‘strategic’ there is a disheartening void, zero innovative proposals and zero projects aimed at a serious change of pace. In the decree there is only a green light to continue polluting, to continue ignoring environmental and health disasters. And a go-ahead to the penal shield for those who commit crimes against health and the environment. We are approving an armored decree from the Government. No improvement amendments have been accepted, not even those presented by the majority. The Meloni government is humiliating a territory that has been waiting for years for a change of course. Polluting plants must be stopped immediately because they kill, they must be reclaimed because otherwise they will kill and they must be reconverted, because otherwise there will be no future. The Government has short-sightedly decided to maintain traditional production in the largest European iron and steel pole”. This was stated by the senator of the Alliance Verdi e Sinistra, Aurora Floridia. And he continues: “Tackling climate change for a more sustainable development model is not, as the majority thinks, a brake on the recovery of the economy, but a real opportunity. And the real challenge today is that of maintaining primary steel production in the decarbonisation process, because green steel production projects have already started in Europe. There is no plan for the reintegration of workers on extraordinary cash or related industries. However, there is a gag on the judiciary and there are 750 million euros to Acciaierie d’Italia spa, without tying them to at least one passage of the majority share to the public shareholder. We limit ourselves to injecting public money as if nothing had happened. The government is wrong. A sustainable industrial reconversion is necessary to guarantee a real future to the next generations”.
Russo (Fdi): the indemnity for the workers of the Fiat related industries has been extended
“The allowance has been extended until 31 December 2023 for workers of the Fiat related industry in Termini Imerese, in the province of Palermo, who have ceased to receive the Naspi unemployment benefit. This is foreseen by the amendment approved this morning, together with other of similar tenor of other political forces, unified in a single reformulation, in my first signature and which have implemented the commitments undertaken by the government with an odg, also in my first signature, contained within the so-called Ilva decree”. This was declared by the senator of the Brothers of Italy, Raoul Russo. “We have kept the promises made and the commitment made with the associated workers of Termini Imerese and other areas of industrial crisis – he continues – I thank the government and the undersecretary for relations with the parliament, Matilde Siracusano, for having found the resources financial resources available to approve this amendment, as well as for the willingness shown in having accepted and understood the need to intervene with an ad hoc measure to safeguard and protect these workers.The territorial reality of Termini Imerese, together with the many crisis areas, deserves particular attention – concludes the senator – since today it records the highest European unemployment rates as companies such as Fiat or Blutec have gone from being a flagship of the Sicilian and Italian economy to factors of economic recession and job loss of national significance”.
Emiliano: the downsizing is positive for Taranto
“The decarbonisation mechanism takes up fewer square meters, because connected plants are not needed and therefore less space is needed. This is a positive thing for Taranto”. This was stated by the president of the Puglia Region, Michele Emiliano, on the sidelines of the first stage of the roadshow conceived by Edison Next and the Puglia Region during which the results of the study “The opportunities for decarbonisation in Puglia” were presented in Bari. Emiliano commented on the possibility that the former Ilva decree would introduce a downsizing of the Taranto plant in terms of size. Speaking of the possibility that the measure eliminates the Environmental Impact Assessment, the governor added that he does not know “how the Via can be avoided, probably the decree believes that the rules currently in force must be applied and that legislative changes are not necessary”. Emiliano also said that “to build the new plants it may be necessary to simplify the rules of the Via. This decree could be an opportunity”.
M5s: bent on Mittal leave Sanac adrift
“The Salva Ilva decree is a concentrate of absurdities by now all too well known, including criminal shields, elimination of environmental and health protections, cancellation of the release from seizure restrictions. A text so obscene that, out of embarrassment, the merry brigade led by Giorgia Meloni did not allowed it to be minimally modified in the Senate. Then there are situations like that of Sanac that really cry out for revenge. The M5s had asked that the disbursement of public funds in favor of Acciaierie d’Italia be subordinated at least to the guarantee of payment of debts towards companies that are in difficulty due to the delays of Acciaierie d’Italia, such as Sanac, but a paradoxical no has arrived from the executive. Acciaierie d’Italia so far, not only has not provided a repayment plan towards SANAC but it also halted orders from its main refractory supplier and started buying material from foreign suppliers. i include Sanac among the plants of strategic interest, but Meloni and the crew have turned away. In practice, we are now grappling with a government that defined itself as patriotic, completely bent on the needs of Arcelor Mittal. An Italian company like Sanac is allowed to drift in total indifference together with its 350 employees, all in order not to disturb the Indian giant. Proof that this government not only does not have a shred of vision in the steel sector, but is proud of the damage it does”. So in a note the M5s senators Sabrina Licheri and Luca Pirondini.
Source: Ansa
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