Orlando: "Without industrial policy, there's no alternative. The government is making science fiction about the former Ilva plant."
"Since my last day as Minister of Labor, three years ago, ever-rising energy costs and a lack of policy have brought us to this point: the automotive industry is at risk of closing, the basic chemical industry has collapsed, many unknowns remain in the construction industry, and we're gambling away steel."
Andrea Orlando's assessment is merciless (also) to relaunch the call for new industrial policies for the country. Last week, in Rome, the former minister, now a regional councilor for the Democratic Party in Liguria and the party's national head of Industry, brought together experts, stakeholders, social partners, and party representatives for the Democratic Party's national industrial policy conference .
La Repubblica focuses on the former Ilva issue between Taranto and Cornigliano, where the government's recovery plan remains "science fiction," even in light of the new environmental permit that yesterday allowed coal-fired production at the Taranto plant to continue . It also promotes the first steps taken by the new mayor of Genoa , Silvia Salis . "She's demonstrating she can control the situation in a situation disrupted by the right; she'll have time for development projects."
Orlando, what can we expect from the government's moves regarding the former Ilva steelworks for the future of Taranto and, consequently, Genoa?
"More than anything, I'm just waiting to understand the investment's true sustainability—if the conditions are actually in place to achieve the group's overall production as envisioned in the plan, what the employment impact would be, and, above all, who would undertake this operation. I'll say this right away: who's putting up the money, if we can already rule out public funding? Which private entities are capable of sustaining such an effort?"
These are more or less the same doubts on the issue expressed by Genoa's mayor, Silvia Salis, while the impression is that in the city there are more supporters of the opportunity than those concerned about the return to production.
I share the reservations expressed by the mayor at the national level, the same ones raised by the union. Let's avoid opening yet another debate: before discussing individual parts of the plan, we need to understand its solidity, feasibility, and implications. Then, of course, in the upcoming discussion, the pros and cons will have to be weighed. But talking about it without factual evidence is like talking about science fiction.
The relaunch of the steel mills
An electric oven for Cornigliano: "A roundtable discussion between the government and the local government will decide." By Matteo Macor
The opportunity, however, would be there. Even with the government's approval.
I've been saying this for an entire election campaign: Liguria, like this country, needs a serious reindustrialization process. I believe it's right to strengthen the Genoese steel hub. We can discuss which phases of the steel production cycle Cornigliano could be strengthened or specialized in. But it's crucial that it be included in an overall plan. You were also among the first to raise the issue of possible greater autonomy for Genoa's plants.
Is it really possible to imagine a Cornigliano separate from Taranto?
Genoa has often been too neglected on the national stage. However, I don't believe in either a complete breakup or a complete break with Taranto. Also because the issue isn't so much whether Genoa can relaunch itself without Taranto, but rather whether the Italian steel industry can do so without Taranto. That's the real question to ask.
Speaking of reindustrialization, you just brought stakeholders, social partners, and party representatives to Rome for the Democratic Party's national industrial policy conference, and presented the "Green Paper" on Industrial Policies. Is this a path worth pursuing (also) to return to government?
"Certainly, there's no credible alternative without a proposed industrial policy, and I hope the conference's contribution can help in this regard. But I also believe we can't truly change—whether in government or opposition—without first considering a shift in the production model that leads to environmental and social sustainability."
That is to say?
We need to think about a reindustrialization that addresses the issues that have complicated industrial development in Italy, from energy costs to demographics and the workforce, all the way to managing transitions and the tools needed to implement them. And all of this isn't just a policy objective; it's a way of looking at the country. Also, depending on the type of development you have, the quality of democracy will also be reflected in society.
But what will this work on industry become? Will it become a programmatic point for the party, for the coalition?
We will organize further meetings in ten regions and a new discussion in the fall, before arriving at a definitive proposal from the Democratic Party, which hopefully will then be shared with the other opposition forces. We will then move on to supply chain conferences in the various production sectors. We don't claim this will be a definitive answer, but it will be an essential forum for discussion to build an alternative and address some of the issues the opposition has already raised: from job quality to wages to the fight against inequality. These issues depend even more directly on changes in production than in the past.
Could this be a turning point for the Democratic Party too? Amid the regional elections' decisions, overshadowed by the general election, the impression is that there's still a need to bring internal debate to bear on these issues.
It's true that we're still in an electoral emergency, but either we stay involved in the changes and oversee them, or we risk definitive social uprooting. This is a problem for the Italian left, but also for the European one. The right, for better or for worse, considers and represents these processes by stirring up fears and imaginary enemies. The left must try to interpret them differently. Lectures on the fight against inequality are no longer enough; we need to return to representing these social conflicts.
Schlein recently met with Confindustria to discuss duties, tariffs, the energy issue, and more.
It was an opportunity to highlight the hypocritical nature of Italian nationalism, which is actually subordinate to that of other countries. And it demonstrated that there is room, if the Democratic Party plays its game well, to represent the national interest and those of producers. Schlein was right; the Democratic Party, even at the local level, should engage with social forces and businesses to develop grassroots responses to what could prove epochal transitions. In Liguria, this has been underway for some time.
The congress phase will begin soon in Genoa, however. A risk?
Our ability to complicate our lives should never be underestimated, but I see it more as an opportunity than a risk. It will be done in a much better position than the last one. Back then, it was a divided party; today, it's a governing party, and all the conditions are in place for a united path, one that also continues a process of renewal that consolidates the recovery begun with the excellent result in the Genoa regional elections.
Will the Salis effect also play a role? How do you assess your first month as mayor? Franceschini has already identified you as the face of the future for the national center-left. Isn't that a bit much?
I find it natural that Franceschini and others would recognize Salis, although I rule out the director's interpretation that this is the birth of a centrist group outside the Democratic Party: it's right to encourage the process, but promoting it would compromise its authenticity. Salis is resolutely facing a difficult challenge, in a municipality left by the right in a worrying state. He's shown he knows how to stay on top of things; now he has to deal with the landmines left behind, and then, starting next year, he'll have time to try again to raise his head for a strategic reflection on the city's future.
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