Thrust of the Hill on the former Ilva: finding a solution

The file on the former Ilva the President of the Republic knows him well. So he has already evaluated the danger that, if the impasse created by ArcelorMittal's farewell to Taranto is not released soon, the employment emergency will expand and spread not only in the South. A social bomb that would risk overlapping with the crisis of the whole Italian industrial system, aggravating it.

All this knows, Mattarella. Yet he was shaken yesterday by hearing the excited outburst of Maurizio Landini, Annamaria Furlan and Carmelo Barbagallo, went up to the Quirinale to ask for support, after telling him the desperation that reigns among the workers of the Apulian factory as well as those of the induced. Support he assured. Doing to understand union leaders that they will not be able to go much further than moral persuasion (to the government and maybe even to some other actor in the game) since, in such a dispute, the head of state can only challenge that weapon. There was an absolute urgency, in the appeal that the secretaries of CGIL, CISL and UIL addressed to him, aware – and the tenant of the Colle with them – that the times for the rescue of the steel plant are very tight and bind to the maximum determination, since this has become a national problem.

Sergio Mattarella, who apparently would not believe in the concrete practicability of Plan B envisaged by some, would prefer that spaces be recovered to negotiate, reducing tension (the stop to extinguish the blast furnaces announced by the property a first step, the president agreed) and examining all the possible options. Of course, it serves unity of purpose among government shareholders. Just the same unit that, as evidenced by the avalanche of 4,550 requests presented to amend the Budget, proves to be faltering. Mattarella alarmed him, and let him know. It reaffirms as the bottom line the need to reduce high public debt and then details its memorandum: Currently the budget session is underway which, as is known, takes place within the framework of European economic governance. Financial stability, debt recovery, legal certainty are objectives to be pursued, with continuity and consistency, to guarantee adequate prospects and conditions for economic and social growth in the country. We translate: we are close between low growth and high debt, Brussels is keeping an eye on us and we know we cannot avoid spending on the chapters. Therefore, as in the case of the Taranto industry, instead of daring to rewrite it again and heavily the budget maneuver, what is needed is a supplement of realism and responsibility.